New-York tribune., 1870-10-01
LABOR EXPERIMENTS.
CHINESE AND COOPERATION IN NUM-"
ADAMS

rrtrsTIAr. ECONOMY AND CELESTIAL
r,,,, ,,,,psr,,rNTs OF THE CHINESE Shoh-
,,,,,vns--rur Co-orERATIvE SOCIETIES
onc,x,zArtoN. WORKING, AND LAfh0iN-
'io"9 pr,o,, orrR srTCraL CORRESPONDENT
NoRTu ADAMS, Mass, Sept @1'Ioon,o '.n,o,s,no ~"
- tho chinese remain TO be noticed peiore p"'ins
tfutS OF 'uo ,cnt which white shocmakers are
On ~ - "o -, otyn hook az North Adams. Ihe new
-? o-4 '.o o a curious combination of economy ana
lbc,ality They Ike money ana know inc N"lue VI ~
wbcn tbey suspect that one OF the shopA'eP'ISVi o
town is asking an eAoroian' PlCe i S
oros tbey turn about aud leave his store i'm
1ont INIT very effective Tebukc. When slght
,onse into slovenlincSs in the making OF SHOES
ON the part OF one team" Of worknen was fol-
lowed by fine Of half dollar or so out OF the wages "i
tbo negligent individuals a profound sensation was
created and the not tepeacd Yet the geue-
rosity the is remarkable In nothing have they
90 asonshed the prudent people of Berkshire as in an
instance in the Sunday School, when, the contribution
box passing round for pennies for some iaa"ay heaeh
one Of the Chinese pupils placidy dropped IN DOL
lar outweighing by his single gift the hberality
OF the whole school. A party of travelling beg
ears, rare sight in New-England, also rejoiced
IA the unusual bounty Of the almoudeyed shoe
makcrs in the big factory. But hint OF warning
from tie Yankee point Of view demonstrated that 'he
aims was not given unintcntOnaly. No loss saiu
All Sing; always give 10 poor people. We no lose by
that" And IN a different these yonng Pagans eX-
hibited not little Of the charity not quite universal
among Christians. One OF their number proved IN
euraby SICK TO be totally disabled as workman
10 was proposed TO send him back 70 California on his
way to his home in China But the poor feHOW was III
love with NcwEngland, and fairly cried at the plan.
His comrades consulted and decided 10 keep the Invalid
here little impoyised hospital in their quarters sup
porting him out Of their earnings as long as he
lives; and the burden is borne cheerfuy ana the man
nado surprisingly comfortable in ms exile
all generosity tho Chinese slOCm0ke1s
save great deal out OF their pay They carry ON cor
respondence Of small proportions, sending of letters
IN packages to California and China every week. and
forwarding money in gold checks to banking house IN
San Francisco, probably 70 pay some debt which may
stand charged against thcm there, for their passage
money or other essentials Of their first coming. They
have already of 81 GOO in this way-no small amount
10 lie saved from the wages they earn considering the
expenses they must necessarily incur In new climate IN
tho purchase Of clothing aud SO forth. They do not
sermp themselves In this respect, however but buy
nbcrally Of woOlens and 6sHnels with the manifest
intention of making themselves comfortable for the
Winter, whether their deposits IL California accumulate
rapidly OF not.
Only few rods beyond Mt sampson's factory Isl
much smaller wooden shop in which little company OF
trying the experiment Of cooperation SO often
recommended to Crispns and dscOnented laborers OF
every kind a substitute for hopeless attacks upon
capital by OF strikes and political enterprises to
influence legislation. Their organization dates back
nearly as Iar SaGSOns CBlucse llbONdii"us duu
they quite wen satisfied with their success as he
docs with his, though perhaps it s not yet time TO form
ajudgment the financial aspect Of their enterprise
The busness-caTd Of the concern gives its formal title.
"NOrth Adams Cooperative Shoe Company. Manufac-
turers Of WOmen's Misses and Chdrens shoes. Sue
oessors TO Smith q Co. President O. L. Wood; Treas
urer s. Bateman Directors. Z. GregsOn, Isaac Tyler
Riordan. f. LegrO, O. L. Wood" 1t is corporation
with special charter formed under the laws OF Masa-
ehusets with capital stock of 5000 in shares Of 500
hold nv Cfao hold laT "a
working shOen aker having only one share, more
holding two each and few having three, and one man
only having many four shares OF stock There are
women employed the shop but women holding stock
I'm their own Names though several OF the shares set
down to husbands and fathers understood 70 belong
to the female members Of their families There are two
Irishnen in the company; the OF the number is
about equally divided between Frenchmen and native
Americans There no boss 10 consult about coming or
going; the do as they like, and enjoy then privilege
Their cutter buys their leather and sells their shoes
having leisure enough the intervals Of his mechanical
work TO make Journeys to Boston for the purposes and
they have forenen in the different who, i'll add
ton 10 labor Of their own attend 10 distributing the
work; but there is head other than the board OF OH
mentioned III the card-Dobody to command ana
none TO obey.
Thus simply organized is little democracy goes onis
avn way asking no favors of any one and confident Of
meeting no obstacles mot 10 lie readily overcome Not
the slightest difficulty has been experienced from hIst TO
ast notwithstanding all reports 70 The contrary either
N obtaining from the leather dealers or In selling
shoes to the jObbing houses. The work is done by the
piece mOsty as in shops and the working share
holders are paid borrowing at the rate which was
uiyer at North Adams before the strike of last June,
aud which is now paid shop In town except that OF
tbc Cooperative Company. As the difference merely re-
duces the dividends of the men who gain by the higher
rate there seems he nobody who can have the right
tn eo,uplsn The hands who work by the day are paid
at the rate in other shops, ana are required I"
work ten hours here as elsewhere
n will he six months al least from the time Of 0rgan
sson before any dividend declared on the stock So
as has been said II is yet TOO early 10 speak oi the hna
ia prospects of the undertaking. But the spokesmen
VI the movement claim for tceItan success on the ground
hat the men, now working for Themselves, are taking
pains producing better shoes than ever before
ad 80 are sure Of commanding the highest prlce in the
market Moreover il il said that the parties 90 the
.CheIne from theiI interest III its success are only
bawng such parts Of their daily earnings rs are
aedcd for their actual support thus acquiring habits OF
yiug giving the business the advantage OF the use OF
Considerable amount of money without melest, ana
isparing the way for trmplated increase Of the
apaI stock H. which event the present stockholders
z,n have the privilege Of doubling their invest
- lts and the newcomers already applying
wili have chance u shave the advantage
Il cooperation. Nobody yet wishee 60 20 ont
bd ia fact small premium offered for shares has Jailed
induce any transfers aud finally the rIOwning adyan-
tto looked f0I from system IN its insnriDg
sa4ady work the year rouud The employer complains
bitterly of shCem8KeIs babit of taking two
three days busy weeks for and pleasure.
than the shoemaker complains Of the employer habit Of
sung ut own convenience by getting ali hls work done
Ui eight OF ten months OF year told that one 81
Se ttodest WOrkmcL IN North Adams, who never failed
"a bc at his bench when there work him 10 do.
reports that ls average OF employment for series of
cen only nine h aT,T Tie