ENCOURAGING CO-OPERATION.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 199, 22 August 1919, Page 8

ENCOURAGING CO-OPERATION.

"A STROKE OF GENIUS." CHANNEL BETWEEN STATE AND PRODUCER. "It is nothing less than a stroke oi genius," commented Mr. John Hooton, general manager of the Farmers' Cooperative Federation of New Zealand, at Wellington, who happens to be in Auckland to-day, when his attention was drawn to Sir Joseph Ward's announcement on co-operation. He went on to say that Sir Joseph Ward's proposal to encourage the co-operative movement i could only be described as a great boon to farmers and a step forward on the right track. Mr. Hooton alluded to tihe phenomenal growth of farming cooperative organisations throughout the world, and the growing tendency for such organisations to work with, tine State. In Australia the co-operafcive associations were recognised a s the national channel through which all the supplies of corn sacks and wool sacks should reach the farmers, and throughout the war period they had been utilised by the Government as the instrument of getting the products on the market In New Zealand, the Government largely employed the co-operative associations for the valuation of woolSir Joseph Ward's intention to stimulate the cooperative movement indicated a noteworthy and progressive sitep in the history of the Dominion. Mr. Hooton also commented on Sir Josepti Ward's proposals for the adoption of improved machinery and scientific methods, and pointed out that in Australia there was already a Government Department of Science and Industry. Sir Joseph Ward's statement that "Labour should receive a greater share of the profits of industry," is, according to Mr. Boddie, president of the Farmers' Union at Auckland, a principle that ibis organisation is prepared to sympathise wit—. The statement that co-operative associations should be given State encouragement, Mt. Boddie said, would be very sympathetically received by tbe Farmers' Union, if for no otfher reason than that it would now be recognised that many of tihe former methods of production and distribution wetre inefficient. The creation of co-operative sysitems—which, of course, meant the elimination of what was popula; ly termed the '^middleman"—would mean the abolition of an inefficient and expensive method of distribution. Anything that the State might be twilling to" do in this way was distinctly in tLhe right direction.