New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-01-16
Cooperation la Scotland.

dents in this city undertook n cooperative
scheme. Its great success has proved its
perfect practicabilty. | shall sketch its sa-
lent points, in the hope that some Chicagoan
NAV be led thereby to introduce something
OF the sort in the Garden city. a capital OF
clio. 900, divided into ten pound shares. was
subscribed. The company was then organ
lied and incorporated under the laws ot
Great Britain as the General Supply Assoc
citation OimitedD." BY the articles OF incor-
p0ratlon its management is vested in a COM
mittec of five. This committee is elected by
the shareholders. 1t consists at present of
n coal master, n merchant, a manufacturer, 4
builder, and dry-saler.
The details of the business are conducted
by a manager, who is appointed by the five
directors. The company opened large gro
Gerry store. 1t has since opened another. At
these houses goods are sold only to three
classes of persOns-the stockholders, the
people who have made themselves liie-mem-
bers by the payment of twenty-one pounds,
and those who have made themselves yearly
members by paying two shillings and six
pence To the two latter classes nOn-trans-
ferable tickets are issued. These may be re-
quircd to be shown whenever a purchase is
made Cash on delivery is the invariablc rule
To obviate the inconvenience of always send
ng money with an order, the association re-
ceives deposit of not less than five pounds
at time, against which it allows its custom
ers to draw. These deposit accounts must
never be overdrawn firthng. They may
be withdrawn at any moment. The advan-
taocs of this system are obvious. The assO-
citation, by buying for cash andn large guam
titles, gets its goods cheaply. Its members,
therefore, save in all their purchases, and
make sure of unauthorized articles besides
Al. = ,,t al.
admirable scheme. Arrangements have been
made with twenty-five of the first firms in
Glasgow, by means of which the members of
the supply company can buy from the firms
in question at a reduction of from five to
twenty per cent. from regular prices.
The list of the leading articles sold at these
twenty-five places covers four closely printed
pages of a pamphlet of about the size of Ou,'
Young Folks. 1t is 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
ISOLATION pays nothing. 1t does not even
bind its members to trade at these houses.
1t does, however, ask them to do so, and
self-interest makes them heed the request.
Tho merchant, in.lemnifed in two wayo
they secure a constant increase of custom,
and their business becomes largely q cash
one. AS | have said, the saving to holders
of supply company tickets ranges from five
to twenty per cent. Meat, which sells here
from twelve to sixteen pence a pound, they
get for a penny pound less. The reduction
on iron is II! per cent; on fancy goods iil-
| teen per cent. !; and on jewclry and groceries
| twenty per cent. After securing all these
advantages to its members, the General
Supply Company finds itself at the end OF
each half year with a surplus of profits. Halt
lpftI ,1Y,si ia ali nd 70 ha
| shareholders. In the eighteen months since
| they have put in their money they have re-
| ceived three dividends Of five per cent. each.
| Of the other half, part goes in salaries, eX.
pcnseS OF management, NC., and the remain
| der is divided among the life members, i. G.
those who have paid in twenty-one pounds
sterling. The division is made according tC
the amount Of purchases made by each dur.
ing the half year. 1t has, so far, been nearly
ten per cent. year.
Thus life member not only saves twenty
per cent. on whatever he gets from the as
sociation's two grocery stores, and from five
to twenty per cent. Oh all his purchases from
| twenty-five other stores, but he gets divi
dend besides. Suppose that we have during
| the year GOO worth Of goods, half from the
| company and hat from the other firm. Or
the former he saves twenty pounds, on the
latter at least ten pounds. His two divi
dends will amount to ten pounds. The re
| suit is that his investment of one pound has
saved him twenty pounds and melted him tel
pounds besides. Such a statement would b,
incredible were it not matter of proof. The
association now has about 1000 members
who represent nearly that number of families
As the expenses Of management byno means
increase in proportion with the enlargement
of business, the prices of groceries, ETC., arr
being constantly reduced as the membership
extends. This extension has been the NOR
rapid because it is for the interest Of ever,
member to get his friends to join. All in all
the General Supply Company" Of Glasgow
is most robust proof of the fact that co
operation is both practicable and profitable. -
Chicago Tribune.