The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-05-10
Cooperative Congress at Newcastle
From the Edingbungh KefonnerI


Cowen, Jr. There was a large attendance
Of delegates including Mr.. Hughes, M. p,
and Mr.. Alderman Carter, VI. Z. The
chairman referred, with salts faction, to the
great advance Of cooperation, and said
that their object was not to make labor
dominant over capital, but to unite the in
terests of the two The number Of CO.
operative stores in England was about one
thousand. but the greatest success yet
shown had been in the Who'll esale store es-
tablished at Manchester, with which 27O
stores were affiliated That Wholesale store
did a trade at the rate I'll 800, OOO year,
and had done a trade in fact during the
last four years Of more than "A, 900,
and had only made goo uf bad debts He
regretted the fact that Scotland had not
taken up the movement as it had been
taken up in England. In Scotland there
were only 80 societies. and in Ireland
scarcely any at all During the last couple
Of wears, notwithstanding the wealth Of
the country, there were l,OOO,O 900 persons
constantly depending On poor-rateS, 81,
OO0, OOO more or less occasionally depend
ent-that ment that out Of 22.OOO. 900 Of
people one1hfth we're dependent on the
poor-rates for subsistence. Here, here
Mr. Cowen next expressed the hope that
a better state of things was rapidly coming
about He believed the time would come
when worklnen would be their own masters.
Loud cheers The time would also come
when each individual would see that the
best way to promote his own interest was
to promote that Of his nelghbor. Hear,
hear Several papers were afterwards
read. and in the evening "A large public
meeting was held. A resolution was passed
20 the effect that cooperation was the best
means of permanently raising the condi-
ton Of the people Mr. Hughes, VI. P,
urged the necessity Of voting only for
members Of Parliament who supported CO.
operation. In some places he said, the
principle very unpopular
The business Of the fifth annual congress
Of delegates from cooperative societies in
Great Britain and Ireland was resumed on
Monday morning, IN the Mechanics lnstl-
tute, Newcastle the delegates having pre-
viously breakfasted by invitation Of the
directors, shareholders. and managers Of
the Ouseburn Cooperative Engine Works.
The congress meeting, after breakfast, was
presided over by Mr.. Walter Morrison,
NJ r.
COOPERATIVE BANKING.
Mr.. Thomas Hughes, VI. r., introduced
the subject of cooperative banking. and
the present condition Of the law affecting
societies. He said that under the bill Of
1868, cooperative societies were unable to
remove the legal prohibition against co.
operative societies undertaking banking
and the prohibition remained UP " the
present time. AZ the congress last year Il
was determined to make an effort to re-
move the prohibition, and Mr.. Morrison
introduced bil into the House of Com
mons this session. with the view of re
moving the prohibition, ny simply repeal
ing certain words IN the Act Of 1865 In
the first week Of the session Mr.. Morrison
introduced this bill its principle was IN
derstood 70 be sanctioned by the Govern
men. and it passed a second reading with
out opposition. Opposition, however, had
nov come from a recently elected member
uf the House uf Commons. a Tory, who.
IL appeared. had at his back some intuen
tal persons who were opposed to the
banking being undertaken ny cooperative
societies He urged. therefore, tle dele
gates IN their several districts to get their
local members NJ Parhment t. support the
bill and suggested that a petition IN favor
Of the bill should lie drawn and extensively
signed by members of co-oDeratlve socie-
ties
Mr.. Laidlaw, who was absent from the
congress, was on the programme To read a
paper Oh the subject, but as that paper was
not forthcoming, discussion on the subject
Was adjourned
THE BEST MEANS or PROMOTING Productive
COOPERATION THE STORES CONDEMNED.
Mr.. Borbowman, of Glasgow, read a
paper on the best means of promoting pro-
ductive cooperation with or without trans
ferahle shares He said The great de-
sideratum is the best means whereby L.
concentrate and utilise individual wealth
ana individual energy, 50 as to secure co
hesion ana unity in the effort to promote
a more lust and more equitable division oi
the wealth produced by labor hence tht
necessity for a clear definition Of co-opera
tive as opposed To- competitive production
The salient point of divergence m these
rival schemes Is, that under the comPetl
tive system profit is entirely absorbed by
capital under the cooperative bl OF tr
partite division is made between the capi
determine the true relation of federated
and individual effort in productive co-ope
ration and the true factor for the division
Of the profit Is the problem with which
ropose to deal First. as To- the organ
cation best htted to promote co-operatIv,
production The conflicting theories whicl
challenge consideration IN tins inquiry ma,
he classed under three heads. VIZ As
socIatiOns composed Of individuals only
federatlOns made up Of existing So
cIeties whose basis IS distribution
and condition of these two sys
TENS. creating powerful trade organiza
ton on the basis Of production lndIvd
ual shareholdlng has ever been and evei
will be the basis Of all associated effort
Can the dIstrIbutive store be made the ba
SIS for the growing development of pro
ductlve corporation To every candle
inquirer the fact Is clear, the teaching q
experience conclusive that the distrbutiv,
store systt IA III its very nature IL antago
nistic to, hence utterly untitled and une
DUAL to the task pf successfully promotIn.
productive COO Grafton. In support O
this assertion, | remark, first, that the dis
tnbutlve store Is only cooperative to 1t,
members, and not to its employees, stand
ing to them simply IN the relation Of capl
talists and employers proposing I,
amend OF improve the position Of the pro
ducer. From its constitution, its corporate
object, the instinct and interests Of ~
members direct its associated energy to Sc
cure the position and protect the Interests
of the consumer only. Labor Is not blinC
to this truth, but accepting the position
has placed them on the same platform a!
other employers hence it Is that strikes
lock -outs are not things Of the past viii
them. but are an absolute necessity, en-
forced and continued under system whicl
its advocates mistakingly denominate CO
operatives. The very limited consumptiy,
, demand, the lack Of commercial enterpris,
and activity inherent IN the dIstributiv,
store system, resulting mainly from tn
, fact that the MAJOR portion of the invested
canital can be Withdrawn bv th. mpn1 haru