New-York tribune., 1869-03-05
CO-OPERATIYE STORES.
IFRoM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.

CO-OPEhA1lhE OlOATO'
fPROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
SouTU AMBoY. N, J., Feb. l9.-AmOng the many
and eyer-penera failures attending cooperative gro
carries stores and trading establishments comes the
report that store in this place a success, and
visit is made to ascertain the facts. South Amboy
at the mouth of Raritan River and 1t is the land
terminus of the Camden and Amboy Railroad where
the companys shops located and where consider
able ship building is going hence there IS large
number of mechanics. The credit system III ING
selling Of goods being general as t Is also III most OI
the towns in New-Jersey the prices asked Tor all de-
scriptions of goods excessive and the coOper-
tive store referred TO was established to furnisn
goods at the lowest rates for cash only. .
Some 75 mechanics effected an organization oD'
tanning charter from the State Legislature. They
commenced business with capital OF S3oOO lnelt
charter permits them TO have capital Oh SO,UOVt
which is divided into shares Of $40 each, and as
understand it, the sum they raised was derived Lioh
a per cent paid the shares subscribed. Each
share is entitled q vote; no member can hOd more
than 50 shares shares be transferred except
by consent of the Trustees.
business opened brisk; they had a general assort-
ment of groceries, boots, shoes and dry goOds aud
during the first six months their sales reached SVOO.
At the end of the first three months dividend was
declared of per cent At the end OF d months, when
the usual account of stock taken, and the amOnnt
of cash on hand was compared win Ine sums pana
for goods, il found that there was dehclency
of So 600. This the superintendent was unable 10
explain. There the books, all III good order;
there were the goods: there was the cas, ana tnat
was all he knew abOut II. This meant that during
the three month they had nearly sunk their original
capital. o.. =.
disband the other to get new superintendent ana
start again. As they had good trade, ana as every
thing seemed III their favor, pIovldlhg they eoula
have fair management, they c0nclnded 10 go aheau-
A new Superintendent, who had been snip calpetl-
ter, who had means, and whom they could trustt'
was appointed and new clerks were hired.
Dnring tbe first month, under the new order. they
traded $500 and they are now trading about S%Ua
day The average prOht on sales Is ABOUT 10 pee
cent and after taking out expenses lhey pIoDaoy
clear about S2O day. They think that IN from SIX
TO nine months from this date, they will be entirely
above board, when dividends may again be ex-
found that they are selling goods at prices some.
thing less than they are sold for IN the cheapest
stores in New,York City or IN any oter part oi ino
articles, such sugar, cotton Clotn, anu Lt'orlto
calcoes which cannot be sold below certain hgureS'
| and they are seldom sold much above:
In short il is a first-rate place for family TO trade.
and the Superintendent and his clerks act as though
they wanted people To trade, when cOh9luph gives
pleasure to two parties. Some Things look u uItlo
heterskelter but where customers crowd, and where
all sorts of goods kept disorder Is more or less
unavoidable.
TRENTON n. J.-At this place cooperative store
was started in 1865, with capital OF about Si.OO0'
The members were, for the most part: Ehsllsnmeh'
engaged ms wOrkmen in manufacturing establish
ments. The number of shares Is limited 10 ten lor
each member, and no one Is allowed more tlan one
vote Ii is in the agreement that the nleners slal
not trade at any other store. Interest Is pld on the
receive dividends which are derived from the pOnts
i'm trade For two years dividend OF hVe per cen.
was declared every SIX months, Dut All at once, ls'
Winter 10 was found, on taking account OF stock.
that there was loss deficiency OF about Sl,OcO
Why this was so the Superintendent couid give no
account except that he bad made, lhJ9dicons DAT M
gains A new manager was employed, ana since
then they have been gaining, and they expect soon
to be square again. Everything now seems III good
order. , - 49,. . ..,
for the reason that sales everywhere are close IheY
pay 5000 year rent and s. day to the & pnihgei riet
mart of the building They have no cashier or CHECKS
| of any kind They trade about 500 uay, Out at
first their sales exceeded this IL was te t 70
| DAYS, time and next they were 80 days behlnd out
thew now do business steadily on this basis when
stockb holder wishes 10 sell ont he must give three
months notice but if he will take goods ne can nave
his pay at once AS it the dead OF Nlhtcr, aht
/ most of the manufacturing ESTABLISHMENTS closed,
| business IN the whole town was dull, Dut tDey
| seemed to be doing their share.
These are all the co0perativve stores could near
of in this vicinity, but froma a newspaper account
| gather there is store in ST. CLAIR, IA whlcn Is
| much more extensive For six months, ending JAN
20 1869 the amount of sales OF dry goods groceries,
aud boots and shoes was St'gS @ 90 d ho vue roi oi
estate. and other items, about sl0,OOO Oh which
| S'piSTt;al Lreak-downs are inseparable from all
| kinds of commercial transactions, ana III may
| be said that success is always. based upon
| some degree of misfortune or even upon 1allilie
More and more do society and business men see the
| yaIne of canabtv united with honesty OF the
| two honesty is far more important. for II time Is
given capabllity can be acquired. In starting co
| lucrative societies honest manager Is the hIst
requiste and the capital should be IN proportion to
his capability. His capacity for management NAV DO
rated at $l0O $500, 5000 power-whateyer IL may
he give him this; let it rather be under than above
his capacity and as tins capacity increases increase
the capital. In this manner precisely did the won,
| derfuy successful ROChdale Society ~ England
have its RISE but they contributed capital slowly be-
cause they could get IL to invest IN 40 other way
All this means before man succeeds he must DeSih
The reason why cooperative stores have iaed Is De-
cause themembers did not learn tins M the beginning
1t was like a boy commencing arithmetic at the hule
| of Three. Ii cOOperatOrs can understand tliat
nothing in this world can be OF any value unless u
| progresses from the first and elementary stages
gradually toward perfection while none OF the sue
cessive stages are to DO neglected. they WIZ nave
aconired ali the knowledge necessary TO make co.
operation a complete success. NC NJ
COOPERATIVE LAND ASSOCIATIONS.