THE CO-OPERATIVE ASSOCIATION AND THE FARMERS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1879, 22 July 1884, Page 2

THE CO-OPERA TIVE ASSOCIA TION AND THE FARMERS.

TO THE KDIi'OK. SIX, — In <i former note I endeavoured hilly enough, no doubt, to illu^ti tte "some of the advantages" in buying from the co-opera-tive association. 1 would now state cleaily that myself and many others that I know of supported the association, no so much on account of the saving there might be in the purchase of seeds 1 , etc., through what we fondly hoped would be our agents, as the benefit and profit that would accrue to us tlnough selling our meat, produce, etc., directly through the association to the consumer. We weie told, al»o, by the same public speakcis that it was scandalous how the public weie victimised, how we (the fanneis) received about 10^ per 1001b for our meat, while the poor consumer paid his 4d pei 1b for it, and we weie promised that, thiough the association, we should iecei\e a better and uniform pi ice for our meat, while it could, at the same time, be lowered very considerably to the consumer. How far, I ask, have the association fulfilled tin-, promise ? They have again "gone over to the enemy;" I mean, enteied into business with an established butcher, placing him at the head of that department, where bi» old instincts will of course lead him to give the farmers as much, and himself as little, of the profit out of the meat as possible, and even then, lest the shareholder should leap too much pi ofit by the transaction, they do not buy diiectly fiom him, but at the auctum sales, whcie the old commission and chaiges have still to be paid, and the pi ice of meat at the co operative shop is not loweied, for the very good leason (vide official) that the other butcheis would do the same, and the fanner would leap no benefit, theie being, of couioe, no srch thing, or a stiong probability, almost a ceitainty, that the public would rally round and suppoit an institution which efiected such a national good as lowering the i>i ice of meat to all, and that lower in puce as it might be sold it would not yet be so low as nine months in the year the fanner leceives for it. Hut enough, the co-operative association is not woithy of the name, they cannot sell a bag of boned list without i mining oft to a seed merchant to guide their .steps, nor a chop without the support of a butchei. Ten settles sending to Victona for a schooner load of manuie could undersell the association, and would be co-operating in a better and tiuer sense of the woid, and Mr W. L. Maityn, in selling his own meat, in his own shop, in Hamilton, yeais ago, did what our No v th New Zealand 00-opeiati\e Association, with' all its means, seems incapable of doing. I will only add that if a strong association, like the Noith New Zealand, cannot sell .seeds and manures to its shareholders cheaper and on as good terms as the numerous firms now in the tiado, and cannot obtain a better pi ice, with fewer charges foi our meat than we leceive at the auction sales, then it is quite clear that theie was nosuitable field for co-operation in thesedirections, and the promoteis of the association should have ascertained the tacts before inviting settlers to apply for shares. — I am, &c, Wha tawhata FAinn:n.