, 1872-12-22
GLASGOW.
A Striking Exhibit Of Scotch
Thrift.
How Cooperation Works In Cares
full Hands.
From Our 01o71 Correspondent.

NAA&60OH3 oG1AAA4s NG-s - Ao'As
Abo-t eighteen months ago, 3 few residents
in this city undertook cooperative scheme.
Its great SUCCESS has proved its perfect practices
biity. I shall aketch its salient points, in the
hope that some Chicagoan may be led thereby
to introduce something Of the sort in the Garden
City.
CAPITAL OF E10, ,000,
divided into s1o shares, was subscribed The
Company WAS then organized, and incorporated,
under the laws OF Great Britain, as tha
"General Supply Association [Limitedl." By
the articles Of incorporation, its management ia
vested in Committee Of five. This COMMITTEES
is elected BY the shareholders. It consists, at
present, Of coalmaster, q merchant, q manufac~
turer, a builder, aud drysalter. The details Of
the business are conducted by Manager
who is appointed By the i've Directors. Tha
Company opened
LARGE GROCERY STORE.
It has since opened another. At these houses
goods are sold only to three c1asses OF persons
The stockholders, the people who have made
themselves >" "Ife-menbeEs" by the payment Of
yearly-membera' BY paying Is. Cd. To The
two latter classes, non-transferable tickets are
issued These may be required to be shown
whenever purchase is made. Cash on delivery
ls the invariable rule. To obviate the inconve-
the Association
RECEIVES DEPOSITS
OF not less than Is at q time, against which IL
allows its customers to draw. These deposit-
accounts must nnver be oyerdrawn farthing.
They may be Withdrawn ct any moment The
advantages Of this system are obvious. The
Association, by buying for cash and in large
quantities, gets its goods cheaply. It's mem-
make sure Of unadulterated articles besides. AL;
this, however, is but a small part OF!
this admirable scheme. Arrangements have.
been made with twenty-five Of the first
firms in Glasgow, by means Of which the MEN,.
bers OF the Supply Company can buy from the
firms in question, at reduction Of from to 20
per cent from regular prices. The List Of ths
leading articles sold at these twenty-five p1acea
covers four closely printed pages Of q pamphlet.
Of about tbs size OF Our Young FoLks. It ia
almost needless to say that this List comprises
nearly everything that man can wish to have in,
on, or around him.
To get the reduction for its members, the AS
sociation pays nothing. It does not even bind
it's members to trade at these houses. Il Does;
however, ask them to-do SO, and se1f-interesH
makes them heed the request. The meIchantal
are Unidentified in two ways: They secure con-
stant increase Of custom, and their business be-
comes largely 8 cash one. As have said. the
saving to holders m OF Supply Company tiekets
here Tor from 12d to 16d pound, they get for q
penny pound less The reduction on iron is'
l215 per cent; on fancy goods, Is per cent, and
On jeWelry and groceries, 20 per cent. After
securing all these advantages to its members..:
the " General Supply Company IT finds itself, at
the end OF each half-year, with
A SURPLUS OF PROFITS.
Half OF this surplus is used as dividend to-
the shareholders. In the eighteen months since
they put in their money, they have receiyed
three dividends Of per cent each. OF the other
half, part goes in salaries, expenses of manages
ment, etc, and the remainder is divided AMONG
the - tlfe-members"-i. e., those who have paid
in 81. The division is made according to the
half-year. It has, so far, been nearly 10 per
cent year. Thus, B 1ife-member not only sa7ea
20 per cent on whatever he gets from the Asso-
ciation's two grocery stores, end from to 20 psz
cent on all his purchases from twenty-five other
stores, but he gets {. dividend beaides.
HOW IT WORKS.
Suppose that he buys, during the ye8r. E2O9
worth OF goods, half from tie COMPANY and half
from the other firm. On the former he sayea
E20, on the latter at least E1O. His two divi~
dends will amount to =SI0. The result is. that
an Investment Of E1 has saved him ESQ, and
netted him $40 besides. Such a statement
would be incredible we're it not matter OF proof.
The Association now has about 1000 members.
who represent nearly that number Of families.
AS the expenses OF management by no means
increase in proportion with the enlargement o.
business the prices Of groceries, etc., are being
This extension has been the more rapid becausa
it 1s for the interest Of every member to get his.
friends to join. AL in all, the "a General Suppln
Company" OF Glasgow. is most robust proof
OF the fact that cooperation is both practicable
and profitable,