The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-02-03

|
Rank of Constance commenced business five
wears ago on capital of few dollars. tnoW
| numbers 1000 members, and tranSacts ousl-
ness OF thousands Of dollars annually, and IS
considered the safest banking institution IN
the Grand Duchy of Baden. The expense oil
running it is less than one-half per cent. per
annrm. These stores, factories and banking
| institutions now exist in all the prlnclpal
| cities and towns of Germany, anu great ilil-
provemcnt in the condition OF the WoTkiiiS
| classes has been effected by their estaohsll-
| ment. Berlin contains twenty SUCH stores;
HAMBURG. Holstcin. Munich, Maycnce, Stutt-
cart, Vienna, kicl, &C., cont =. from Two 10
| dozen each. Switzerland and the Princlpall-
ties have also received the Infection anu pront-
ed by the example of the pioneers.
Tic origin OF all of these associations IS
similar: thy grew ont Of the necessities and
requirements of the working people. OPP
pressed with burdens and disabilities which
| they could not easily escape, their attention
was directed, providentially it may have been,
to cooperation, and they have tried it now for
more than twenty years, and with almost un-
yary;n9 success The system OF management
is nearly alike in all. 1t is briefly as follows:
a small sum is subscribed weekly or monthly,
as the members may agree upon, until a sum
| deemed sufficient is thus accumulated. This
| tax in England amounted to % cents month,
and in Germany from 40 to 20 cents month.
The shares having been fixed at certain nom
| lllal VtHllC, Sly 80, Wucu CdCu luSluuSl hoo
subscribed that amount, he is not called upon
for anything more unless violent emergency
arises, and the members want 10 maintain
their credit and standing. In England tne
business is conducted purely upon cash basis,
, and no distinction is made between customers
whether they be members OF the socletles OF
not. But the German societies differ in TINS
respect, inasmrch as they. with few cXcep-
tions, deal exclusively with members. The
English also allow their profits to accumulate
into dividends, while the Germans settle up
with the purchaser allowing him Ills alvlGcnd
at the time OF purchase. The use Oh tlckets
by the co-operators of both countries is gene
raj. The highest and wcalthiest classes OF
German society readily engage in cooperative
| societies and cheerfully share their bcnctltS.
And among the membership of the Berlin,
| Hamburg and Vienna societies may be found
many public men, government officials, army
officers and others. In England the ariStoc-
fearing to compromise their social position by
contact with the masses on equal terms.
The cooperative Store, factory or bank soon
leads to libraries, reading rooms mechanics
institutes, lectures, music and other apph-
ances of culture and refinement, and the con-
sequent elevation in tone and moral character
of the recipients of these blessings.
Previous to 1867 q few Intellectual efforts had
been made to establish building societies In
New York, but not until that year did they
meet with faycr The movers lacked expert
ence and confidence la each other, But al the
beginning of the year Mr.. Albert Allingham.
an Englishman, and for many years connected
with cooperative associations in Great Britain,
took the measure in hand here, and the fol-
lowing is the result to-day There are four
cooperative buiding and lot associations IN
this city in successful operation, and nine IN
BROOKLYN The former contain l440 members,
344 of whom have received their approprla-
tions. The aggregate subscriptions to those
associations amounted. at the beginning OF
this Year, TO 1921, ,S42, aud the value OF the
property purchased was s35G,3I5, Dcslues
which they have yet a considerable balance III
bank.
But apart from these there are two co.orc-
rativc printing establishments, an iron iOun-
dry and n grocery store also existing mere
And recently two prominent carnage nan,l-
featuring firms have taken their employees
into partnership with them on the co-opcra-
tive plan. This class of cooperative partner
ships has received the attention of Englishmcn
to such an extent that in London alone IuO
building and lot societies exist, and new era
is dawning there for the workingman.
CAN AMERICANS COOPERATE?
We do not mean 10y this question, can Amer
icar workingmen cooperate in particular
spheres. We have shown above that they can,
but can they extend the principle into every
department Of labor AMI il they can, will they
do so or make the attempt? Whenever the
subject was broachcd 10 them many have
turned away contcmptuously "a If they mad no
faith in The principle, and did not believe that
it could succeed except under the most favored
circumstances. Thus in 1865 the masons and
bricklayers sought to organize cooperative
association which might take building con-
tracts from real estate owners. Thcy conlin-
ued their efforts last year, but failed miscrably.
Another set of workingmen sought to cstab-
l;cl, lnrif1, thn SuODlV Of fOOn rOtn-
ing, &c, to its members ut wholesale, but
whether through Ignorance of the name or
from some other cause, this failed also. The
general excuse given for these f,lurcS Is the
eXpensiveness of the enterprises. But this
excuse is without foundation, rs we have
shown already. But yet q stronger reason
may be given to show that the workinglncn
can well afford 10 engage in cooperation.
There arc as we have shown, I0,0OO me-
chanics and laborcrs in New York, earning
daily wages, ranging from 81 TO 50 per day.
Now suppose half of that number take each
one glass of alcoholic drink each day, land
statistics prove that this estimate is TOO low,l
at ten cents per glass, the sum thus expended
amounts to $500; and for cigars and tobacco
allow the same sum, $780, We have daily
expenditure for injurious Injuries of SIOOO.
Multiply this by 3G5 GiyS and We have 50 2,5j5,-
900 per annum, q sum amply sufficient 10 carry
ont most If not all OF the suggestions ABOVE
made. And if the other $4,000 men whom we
have assumed do not indulge in those habits,
subscribe similar amounts these cooperative
enterprises might be successfully started any
day In the year
But another leason may bc deduced from
the receipts and expenditures OF an average
mechanics family of five persons--two adults
and three minor children. Take, for instance,
the family of a mechanic engaged in building,
such as the masons, carpenters, stone cutters,
hOusesmiths, and the like, whose wages aver
age 81 per day. Allowing for wet days and
lost time, these men cannot work more than
234 days in the year on an average. This num-
Der of days multiplied by four will produce an
| income OF s93G rGr annuln The balance sheet
will then stand at the years end rs follows:
lncolhe.. ::c, w
Kent OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 10 w
ClOlnlnT. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES -oo w
Incidentals. ls....................... So 0O-soo3 81
Everything except rent has materially de-
creased in price since January, 1862, anu that