Cooperation

In its first try at governing a province (Saskatchewan), the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation is on trial. The challenge of the times to Canada's first socialist government: it must make a substantial show of bettering the lot of Saskatchewan's farmers--and Saskatchewan is largely an agricultural area. The alternative: yeasty, ambitious C.C.F. will never swing the farm vote in other provinces, will remain a minority party in Dominion politics. Last week Saskatchewan's Government turned up with new proof that it understands the challenge and is going out to meet it.

At Regina, Minister of Cooperatives L. F. McIntosh stepped out of a plane with a trade prospect to encourage his farm voters.

Minister McIntosh had been to Britain, talked to the chiefs of the vast and successful British cooperative societies, which have 9,000,000 members, control 24% of England's retail food sales, feed 42% of the population of Scotland. Saskatchewan's farmers knew that the co-ops also have huge investments in Argentine packing houses and creameries in New Zealand. The good news that Minister McIntosh had to tell the home folks was that the British cooperatives were ready to do more business with Canadian cooperatives. They were prepared as a starter to invest in new hog-processing plants in Saskatchewan. At present their import needs are at least 1,500,000 hogs a year--one-sixth of Canada's total production.

Such a deal would assure Saskatchewan farmers first cut at the prime British market for bacon once held by the Danes. But there was a catch in it. Like other Britons, the chiefs of the British cooperatives were also worried about markets for British export goods. Before they invested in Saskatchewan, said Minister McIntosh, the British cooperatives wanted to know whether postwar Canada was prepared to lower its tariffs on British goods. Patently that was a concession that neither the C.C.F. nor Saskatchewan could make: it was a matter, of overall Dominion politics.

But Minister McIntosh had powerful arguments to make to Canada's Government. The cooperative deal was an attractive prospect for the Dominion's postwar economy--as far as the farmers could see. And for the time being, at least, the farmer's view was C.C.F.'s view.

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