The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-11-26 00:00:00

RTICKLANII
MR. J. )(ANSEL ON CO-OPNBILITVE
80CI STIES

Th. proposal to astielish a cu-operative society in
amand having met with the general approbation of
the inhabitants of that end the adjuent villages, J. C.
Meal. Req., of L,ongthorna, very kindly complied with
the recitmet of the prouhvers of the movement to give
an eddrese on the principle. and itrirentagea of co-opera.
tins. 'the address was delivered on Friday evening in
the National School-room, and was listened to with
great attention by a large saber of lebouriog men and
their sive. Mr. Meal wee supported by the Rev.
J. R Cotter, rector of Houghton, and the Kee. W. la
JUDIIII, aerate of Staked, the esteemed rector, the
Rev. W. Churehill, bring unable to attend. There were
elm pant Mr. Rain, of Qoarioston form, Mr.
gentiles Bdpend ; Mr. Lukins, Mr. trnett, pen., Mr.
Allen, Ur. Barnett, an., Mr. Turner, he.
Mr. Hansel, in hie °pains remark., mid it afforded
him very rest pleasure to inset so large a 1.•,..13.r of
the wonting men of !Wetland on that ommion, and to
bring before them some of the advanteges sad results of
co-operation, which wits extending front one pert of
England to another. In the% remote portion of the
world, for Corsets ',ire had been °compared to toe extreme
or toe end of England, the principles of co-operation
were not generally go well understood m in the large
mautifuturing towns, but be believed, little as he knew,
compered with others, that they were equally as appli-
cable far apieultural distriete as for manufacturing
towns. From .ht he could understand there had
been some alight opposition to the formation of with a
society in liiiekland, and therefore it was that those who
were in fevuer of such a society being establi-hed ewe
deeiroas that the sub" et should be fairly di...nosed. It
was one of the greatest privileges of Englishmen th.t
they eould meet and discounter questions. There was
no barrier mimed in this country to prevent one men
speaking his mind to his fellow man, or to stop them
from wafering together for their mntual benefit, and
if the rich, or those woo by Prondenee were in better
ciretpuntenet., met and conferred with one another, why
ehnuld not the poor man. What then was co-operation.
The highest sod read noble co-operation was the union
of ritriatian men, in promoting the intension of
Christ's kiogdour throughout the world—Cheer.
hurl. But the 00-opereti ,n of which he bed to
epeale had to do with the meted welfare of each
other io the, world, and this would battle more and
•tore unig•reel as the principle. of 000peration hamn
better underatood. Tho-e principles involved the duty
of helping one enother in procuring the neeetia •rtes of
I:fe et the lowest possible coat, ended the purest qoalitc,
and as he coonsiderel. were of the highest Pommies •
to these he we. addressing. who for the most part were
lahourinc men—(hear, hear). —lt had been objected to
uct, sinister. toot they interfere I unjustly with voided
interest., that the hid@ shook...per was injured by
them, end therefore they wero wrong in p i ctple.
Now, no Mon would be more grieved than Innalf to
iejare any man in his banns, hot he did coonaider
that, looking at the condition of the agricultural
labourer, who often had to bring tip • large family a
but a small income, it was his duty to give his eount-n-
-sap and Support to any plan which would better hie
riondition end contribute to hie happiness. The same
kind of obletitione which is now pot forth to the forma-
tion of co-operative societies were formerly used against
the education of the people. But the question with him
was—ls it right for the poor man to pay more than he
ought to pay for the neoearies of life? And can the
poor man by joining a co-operative society be @applied
with goods at a cheaper rate, and of better quality.
Believing that he *mild befell it his duty to gine suith
societies his warmest support. Certainly it must be
seen at once that there was no middle-man's profits to
Pay. The goods were purcheeed from the wholesale
market; mud told to the members at the fair market
price, not under for It wu not the object of them
societies to undersell the air trader. It can be "how°
that by purebasting lathe cheapest market stleh societies
are enabled, sot only to supply the member@ on tenni
equally as low, and in many oases lower than the
replier tradesmen, but that after paying all the expenses
of management such members moth we beck in buena on
their purchases e large proportion of the money they
expend. The Reform Bill of 1832 had transferred •
greet deal of the power formerly •ested in the higher
els., to the midi,e ciao, who bed taken every advantage
ofithatpower, developing the resouroee of the country to
hat England had become commercially one of the
greatest nations of the earth, By the new Reform Bill,
that which hid misted during/1a salon the labouring
ema of this tiott- try *veld be addlitted to manzpri
but the enjoyment of them would depend thief? oh them.
Selves. Mr. liana& than referred to the &neat which
had attended the working men'. reeding Glob at White-
clash, stating that it was almost entirely supported
by the ambers, and he believed it was throurb that
the on-operative society first took its rim. Reading
etas and working men's eithe were all founded on the
droperatiee principle, and as the anthers of mob
slobs became more god more interestei in each other's
welfare, they wool.' seek to carry out the principle of
oe-operation in other matters. He trusted that thee*
present who contemplated haring • oceoperstive
SSdety in Ptiokand Would make use of every advantage
lased bet ra them, but at the same time look to their
owe dare, and see everything wag properly oonducted.
The oos great object roe to bare • good working com-
mittee! for the seam of all snob gaieties depended
on their management. One of the great objects of on
operative societies was to products pesos and harmony
among working men. In this he considered thee eoe•
trot& very favourably with trades unions, of which
they had head so much lately. Trades unite. thomth
having Some godd object', appeared by resent revela-
tions to be the aim of promoting disoord between the
employer and the employed, sod beneath use workman
and another. This could not be ea of on-operatiee
smith a, for the great aim of every member teonld be by
ciereful economy to increase his own steak, and by so
doing he sotstod to inerethe hie brother members.
There wore three aspects in which he wished them to
clew this quest ion,—mondly, ucially, and bailee, sally:
The fuatamental principle of all eo.operative societies
eu the payment of ready money for *Toy article
purchased. This plan Induced habits of corealneee and
eoonomy, nothing being purchased but chat we. really
neonemary. It also induced in the nada of the members
• feeling of sympathy for their brethren. Thin
most gratifyingly shown in sonneetiou with the recent
oottoo famine. In the town of Boadale, where the
orinvieles of so-operation was curie I out, sot only in
the dietribetioe of pods, but in the production of them,
throuch the mount, of eolith dering the A.gpvicaai war.
shame amounting in vales to £135.000 were withdrawn,
yet no sooner wee this known to the other llooiellke
threoglient Peened, then this sabers of the societies
orntributed DO lose a sum than £134,000 on behalf of
their suffering brethren. Thee men living a other
pea of the country, who oonld not by 'my
Possibility have had any personal knowledge of
their brother menthe.. at Rochdale are drawn together
by the morel OM of sympathy and kindly feeling snd
aiding them in their day of trial--(eheers). Another
image of the game kindly feeling, and that to an
Individual member eerserred lately in T.riS whore ti,,
Printsiele of ao-theratith wee extending. To meet the
OIDIDOOMI asethed with the improvement of that
be&utifel city, every article brought la was sobjeet to •
tax. One of the tradesieth who employed • greet
number of heads *jested to pay it. giving as his !WWI
for not soraPlYing that if the Emperor and the rich
people of the city dared to have such fine plea they
putt very well at ord to pay the expose themeelvell
On his refusal his pas were seised and ordered to be
sold. The in robots of the eo optative ancrieties hearing
of this, attended the sale ired purchased the whole of
Cite growls, and regaled them ti him, remarking that
they would not allow • ass who heel es nobly stood
op apiwill an mini-min tax to be sacrificed. They had
In them two coon a kindness of be-it rho•n to the
unfortunate well worthy of their otheideradoa,
pilving how the prince.::thtted together men of
escheats stations is life. ratios was the tiredly*
tote.n capital and lab .nr, and it we. right that the
labouring an thould knew the principle on width
meta aed !than null be gaited. His advise woe.
however, that in such places a. fitioliband, mad the
neigtsbourbood, only one kind of on-operskion—that sot
dietribatios—ebould be carried out. They seal at
metal to be produmen, though that was being earned
oat is the North of Eadad. There wu elao soother
ebieh was isethe trine by a Mr. Rigp, the °weer el
oral mbar. la the North, who by hie eon's advise gave
his am • main peratege on their labour nut of the
profits of the Grant, and on soessal was the remit
lifeat the paper% pelts had rises 1.10 per sent
(theses). Ow of the Met *Wog rase* of the

formation of the Whitesbun* society, was the establish •
ment of soo.operatiee society in Wilton- B.o* time
ago • pntl man from that town we visiting at
house, anti in the course tic nursation he showed him
a copy of the rahos and balance-sheet of the W bitookereh
eositetv. The g-ntleman went away &Ed roily a few
days Um* he (Mr. Mansell had seeeired • onpy
of the rel•-• and ha1...v.-sheet for the first
quarter of the Wilton society. Ti. first quarter
0011.111,1110114 in April. and at he close they had • balsnot
of £1,361 tO.. fid. Such a society mast do a great
deal of good. When the Whilehur.b S ai•ty was
established. two others, one in Dorohuter and the
other at Poole, were in existence, ant it It's with
reference to the failure of those two he wished to my a
few words. He had made psrtionlar 'liquids" respect-
ing Poole, and from • friend had learnt that the first
manager who WU appointed bad a shop of his own in
the plate, the second rubbed the till, and the third
gems credit to his mutomera. the very thing that was
utitely oppo.ed to the spirit of so-operation. With
regard to the Doreliettu &okay, though he had mot
been shie to learn such full pertionlars, yet he was ,
isfornsed that the onnunittos of ucookoo,o, wok no
iaterest in the mourn nod never troubled thionstalsta
to attend, and Indeed he It el never wen from either
of thi two useleties city nest pr flied ntaiem,ot a. that
fernished by the Wilton or WhitedhiVeth Viet.
Mr. having given a brief °Ulmn of the op-ra'
Mons of no-operative smarties in linglisnl,tsketi from the
aropirestor, and shown how the principle was extend-
leg from ittie treat centres"( the mannfuturing districta
to almost every town in the kingdom, proceeded to
point out some of the necessary steps to be
takes to ensure seweea let, a good manager,
thoroughly conversant with asoosints ; 2nd, a work-
ing sononittee 'sleeted from those who were both
aUs and willing to ohmage the basinue; 3rd, the
keeping of regular acounnts, and the quarterly public*
lion of a balance-sheet He then mentioned that as
many preunt Gould not perhaps afford to pay down
their money in a share, though as he understood Mr.
Rogers had offered to advance the money to any of his
men—(loud oheers)—they thould adopt Museum plan as
at Whitaehurek the men paying Is. per week till the
whole wee pasd, end their interest being calculated front
the tame when the whole lOa. was paid. Probably some
of Us. farmers in the neighbourhood would, however,
advance their men the money, sod he was sere that by
so doing they would he assisting in a good work. He
then stated the ems of • member of the Whiteobertili
society, who, not having the amount of a share, borrowed
It of his employer, and at the end of the queer was
enabled to pay him bock out of his share of profits on
what he had perehased—(obeers). Mr. Mengel then
stated that be bad reweivad a letter from Kr. Barnett,
and if that gentleman was present he Mould be most
lispoy to hear and answer any of his °ldeation*. Their
object was free and open discussion. Mr. Barnett, jun.,
the writer of the letter, was present, but did not recoond
to the invitation of the lecturer.) Mr. Muse' then
proceeded again to state that be would be the last per-
son tic injure any one if he knew it. Hs Porcheted all
that he required in the neighbourhood, considering It
was the duty of those who had property to -import the
tradesman in those places where their property was
situated, and be bad Liao need his ineeenco that the
food and other articles required for the Milborne Be
formatory, &tweeting to eletnt £BOO per annum, should
be purchased at Milborne—(sheen). With regard to
the trmation of • society in Stickland, he advised them
to obt.in the amistanas of Mr. J. Smith, the secret iry
of the Whiteehureh slab, who was, he remarked, well
nem,' in all the deMile of management, and had de.
voted oonsideritble time and attention to the subject of
owiperation.

The Rev W. la James mid he onntidered they were
seder great obliwitioot to Mr. Mussel for bit very es-
sellout address. He had attended that meeting with
very peat pleoesre, and h. hoped that the remarks
mad. by Mr. Mantel on the sdrtntages of a reading-
room would not be forgotten, but that before long one
would be established. He bad no doubt but that the
Baron, with his weal kindnem, would glut them the
free use of the eobool room for smith • purpose. Indeed,
he had understood that the Baron intenied to build
them a reading-room. He waved also that • eirop.ra-
tive aoMate would be eatablishiii, as ha la.litieed it
eroeld be of gnat advantage to the poor pimple of the
Mr. Lukens proposed • rots of thank" to Kr. Mantel,
whilst. that gentleman briefly acknowledged, sod on hit
leaving the room he was loudly sheered.