The co-operative movement among the Scandinavian workers and farmers is a much discussed topic, in fact, it has become an issue. The Danes are especially active in this great movement; they seem to take the initiative everywhere.

The Danes of the homeland are brought up in the co-operative movement. Every Danish peasant boy and girl spends two or three years at one of the government agricultural colleges. Many of them, before "returning to the soil," work in one of the many co-operative institutions, in co-operative dairies, meat-packing houses, cheese factories, slaughter houses, and buying associations. When the "old folks" retire, their children are able scientific farmers, and begin their work at home at the ripe age of about 2forty.

In the Danish peasant class, there is no illiteracy; many of the sons become lawyers, preachers, editors, and doctors. On every farm one sees large libraries and usually a piano, and the youth always belong to some literary club where they discuss the latest international literature. Many a peasant has been elected to the Danish Parliament where he fights for better legislation for the farmer.

In Chicago there are many co-operative stores and some factories owned by Scandinavians. Throughout the Central and Northwest States, the co-operative movement is becoming stronger year by year, and most of the co-operative associations are successful.

The organization of a co-operative creamery, for example, is a simple task. The organizers get together, buy stock, and soon start to build. When the 3plant is complete, they elect officers who manage the dairy with no interference from the members except that encountered at the quarterly meetings where the plan of work for the next three months is laid out.

Following are the bylaws of such an orgnization:

"The Agreement

"We, the undersigned citizens of County, State of, do hereby agree to form ourselves into an association, known by the name Association; and we agree to borrow the sum of dollars, or less, to put up a building and equip it with the necessary machinery, and become jointly and severally responsible for the sum borrowed, including the interest. The money is to be raised in the manner agreed upon by the association. We also agree to furnish the milk from the number of cows specified opposite our names.

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Names	Cows
....	....
....	....
....	....

"Articles of Agreement of the Association

"We, whose names are hereunto subscribed, and whose residences are within the County of in the State of, do hereby associate ourselves together as a co-operative association under the laws of the State of , for which we have adopted the following constitution:

"Article 1. The name of the association shall be the Association, and its place of business shall be at or near Section in the Town of in said County.

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"Article II. The object of this Association shall be to manufacture butter or cheese, or both, from whole milk, at actual cost.

"Article III. The officers of this Association shall be a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and three trustees, who shall be elected annually at the regular annual meeting of the Association, to be held on the first Monday of January of each year, and who shall serve until their successors shall have been duly elected and qualified.

"Article IV. The duties of the respective officers shall be as follows: The president shall preside at all meetings of the Association; he shall sign all drafts and pay over to the treasurer all money which shall have come into his possession by virtue of his official position, taking the treasurer's receipts therefor. He shall have power to call special meetings of the Association whenever, in his judgment, it is required by the business of the Association.

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"The vice-president shall perform the duties of the president whenever, because of absence or other reasons, the president may be unable to attend to them.

"The secretary shall keep a record of all the meetings and sign all orders upon the treasurer.

"The treasurer shall receive and give receipt for all money belonging to the Association, and pay out same only upon orders which shall be signed by the secretary. He shall give bonds in such amounts as the Association may provide.

"The president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and the three trustees shall constitute the Board of Directors, whose duties shall be to audit and allow all just claims against the Association. They shall compute the amount of milk receipts, the amount of moneys received therefor, and, after 7deducting from the total receipts the percentage herein provided for as a sinking fund, and also the running expenses, they shall, on the twentieth day of each month, divide the remaining receipts for the preceding month among the members and patrons of the Association proportionally to the amount of milk furnished by each. Provided, however, that in case of the withdrawal of any member from this Association, before the money herein provided to be borrowed shall have been paid in full, principal and interest all products from the milk furnished by such withdrawing members then on hand, and any moneys received from such products then in the possession of the Association shall be retained, until all said moneys so borrowed shall have been fully repaid, and thereafter said moneys, or any remainder thereof after applying the just share of such withdrawing member therefrom to the repayment of any balance of such indebtedness not paid from the sinking fund, shall be paid over to his assignees.

"The Board of Directors shall require the secretary to make in writing a report to the annual meeting of the Association, setting forth in detail 8the gross amount of milk receipts, the net amounts of receipts from the products sold and all other receipts; the amount paid out for running expenses; the sums, if any, paid out for milk; and all other matters pertaining to the business of the Association. A like statement, containing the gross amount of milk receipts, the not receipts from products sold, and all running expenses of the creamery, shall be made and posted conspicuously in the creamery building at the time of the division of the previous month's receipts as aforesaid.

"The Board of Directors shall borrow the sum of money, not exceeding _____ thousand dollars, to be used by them in the erection and completion and furnishing of the creamery building, and form no other purpose. Said members of said Board may borrow said money on their own individual responsibility, and in case they shall do so, then, the sinking fund herein provided for shall be applied by them in payment of such borrowed moneys as the same fall due, in the same manner as though said money had been borrowed by the Association. Said members of the Board in such case shall be held the creditors of the Association to the amount of such moneys unpaid, and the several 9members of said Association shall be personally responsible, jointly or severally, for the same. Provided, however, that prior to any legal assertion of such individual responsibility, the entire sinking fund then accrued and on hand shall be applied to such indebtedness. And provided, further, that said members, so borrowing said moneys, may, if they so elect, demand and apply any part of all of the moneys received from products sold, and then in possession of the Association, upon such indebtedness before enforcing such individual responsibility, in which case only part of such indebtedness remaining after applying thereon all sums so received shall be recovered or demanded from the membership of the Association.

"Article V. The several members shall furnish all the milk from all the cows subscribed by each, all milk to be sound, fresh, unadulterated, pure, and unskimmed, and patrons of the Association not members may, by agreement with the Board of Trustees, furnish such amounts of milk as may be agreed upon. The Association shall receive all such milk so furnished, manufacture the same into butter, cheese, or both, and sell the product; 10and from the moneys so received, deduct such a percentage thereof, or such a number of cents per one hundred pounds of milk, as shall have been agreed upon by the Association in the bylaws or otherwise, and also deduct the running expenses of the creamery, the remainder thereof to be distributed as provided in Article IV hereof.

"Article VI. Each member shall be entitled to one vote at any meeting of the Association. New members may be admitted as provided in the bylaws. Members shall be permitted to withdraw only as provided in the bylaws.

"Article VII. The first officers and Board of Trustees shall be as follows: president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and trustees.

"Article VIII. This constitution may be amended at any annual meeting, or at any special meeting called for that purpose; provided that two thirds of all members present vote in favor of such change; and provided, further, 11that at least one month's notice of such proposed amendment shall have been given in such manner as may be provided by the bylaws or otherwise by the Association.

Skandinaven (Daily Edition), Feb. 20, 1896.

"Bylaws of the Association

"I. The treasurer shall give bond in the sum of dollars, the bond to be approved by the Board of Directors.

"II. Five cents on each one hundred pounds of milk received at the creamery shall be reserved to form a sinking fund.

"III. No milk shall be received or business of any kind transacted at the creamery on Sundays.

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"IV, During the interval between May 20 and September 20 of each season, milk shall be delivered at the creamery at least as early as 9 A. M.; during the remaining portion of the season, as early as 10 A. M.

"V. All milk delivered shall be sweet and in good condition. If any is otherwise, the operator may condemn the same, and in such case he shall notify the president thereof. The operator shall test each member's and patron's milk at least three times a week.

"VI. Any member or patron found skimming, watering, or in any manner adulterating his milk offered at the creamery, shall forfeit to the Association as follows: For the first offense, $10; for the second offense, $25; for the third offense he or she shall forfeit all interest in the Association, and also claims for milk theretofore delivered to the Association. But no such forfeiture shall be adjudged without first affording to the member or patron charged with having so skimmed, watered, or adulterated his milk full opportunity to defend himself from such charge. Any member sending 13to the cremery any bloody or unhealthy milk, or any milk from any cow within four days after calving, shall, if convicted of having done so knowingly, forfeit as prescribed above in this section.

"VII. Members and patrons furnishing whole milk may take from the separator or the tank at the creamery four fifths of the quantity of milk delivered at the creamery by them on that day. Any member taking therefrom more than that amount shall forfeit to the Association the sum of five dollars for each such taking.

"VIII. Withdrawals from the Association shall be allowed only as follows: The member desiring to withdraw shall give at least one month's notice of his application therefor. Such application shall only be allowed on a vote of two thirds of all members present and voting at any meeting for hearing at which such application shall have been filed; provided, however, that any member living more than three miles, by the nearest road, from the creamery building may make application to the Board of Directors, who, in their discretion, may grant permission to such member to withdraw from the 14Association.

"IX. Any member refusing to deliver at the creamery the milk agreed to be there delivered shall, without reasons satisfactory therefor to the Association, forfeit all interest in the product on hand.

"X. Notice of any proposed amendment to the constitution shall be in writing or printing, and shall be kept posted prominently in the creamery building, and also on the walls of the delivery department for the reception of milk."

This is the best constitution and set of bylaws that we have ever seen. In view of the fact that these has been much interest lately in the organization of co-operatives, we publish this constitution. Here in Chicago, we could organize and successfully operate all kinds of enterprises of this type. We have here several co-operative stores, a co-operative cigar 15factory, a co-operative shoe factory, and numerous other groups that are in the making. From time to time we shall discuss this type of organization in our columns.