Litchfield enquirer., 1874-03-19

can feel so long as he simply works fo, nAcu wages. Numerous instances nigh
 pc gwen to show how powerfully the in dustry of the laborsr is stimulated by tht feeling of property.
 Mr. Brand, the present Speaker of ths Hollse of Commons, has offered to the Ia borers whom he employs on his farm tt allow them to invest in the farm any mon ey which they may save, receiving tht same interest as he obtains on his capital In the event of the farms yielding ne pront, he further promises, in order tt secure them against all risk of loss, tc pay them the same interest as they could get Tn post-office savings bank.
 Although cooperative banking has fol some time obtained a remarkable develop ment Tn Germany, yet until the last few
 years It has scarcely had any existence il England. The first bank was established at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1871, mainly through the instrumentality of Dr. Ruth erfork. The bank is at the present time dolnS business of e200, GOO month Although many cooperative societies hold shares in the bank, yet individuals I can also become shareholders.
 Two important advantages can. nc donDt, be secured from these banks. In tue nrst place, Q cooperative society may ind an eligible investment for it's surplus caplfal; and m the second place, a coop. eraiFe society may sometimes obtain moss valuable assistance by getting tenn pofafy advance of capital. The mana. gers of these banks will, of course, have to be just as careful as ordinary bankers, not to advance money on imperfect secu- rlty, ,aelther to a cooperative society or to individuals. They will also have to avoid tho Temptation to make unsound invest ments. In the first establishment of these banks many mistakes will, no doubt, be committed.
 In Germany, the capital required for the working of the associations is obtain ed by the subscriptions of members, and by loans contracted in the open market on the credit of the association. The l bulk of the business is carried on with | capital obtained in the latter way: In the year 1865 there were nine hundred and sixty-one of these credit associations in existence in Germany. Of these. about one-half, or four hundred and ninety eight. sent in their statistics to the cen tral bureau, showing that they then pos sessed nearly one hundred and seventy thousand members, and that the money they annually advanced was equal to 91O,- 000,000.
 Various other schemes have from time to time been propounded with the object of improving the houses of the poorer classes. These schemes, though not CO., operative in the sense in which the word has been employed, are based on the principle that much more can often be done by union of several small capitals working separately. Thus, if hundred men subscribe e2OO each, with the e2O,- GOO thus collected, block of buildings could be erected which would provide each member with much better accommo- dation than if each had expended his e2OO in building house for himself.
 Any one who wishes to build house obtains from the society an advance of money, which he can repay by weekly, monthly, or yearly installments. AL though houses of different character and style are erected, yet various regulations with egard to drains, ventilation, etc.. |, are strictly enforced At Stafford sufficient landaAxas purchased by the society for the erection of seventy-six houses. In Birmingham three estates have been pur- chased, on which 1t is proposed to erect six hundred houses. Probably, however, the most successful and the most exten- slve scheme yet carried out by the socie- ty has been in the neighborhood of Lon don, on what is known as the Shraftes- bury Park Estate. This estate, which is close 10 the Clapham Junction Railway Station, consists of about forty acres. Upon 1t three hundred and seventy houses have already been erected, and 1t is pro- posed to build four hundred and ten more. When the scheme is thus comple- ted 1t will constitute town of no less than seven thousand inhabitants, which Will be Ill many respects q self-contained organization. A lecture-hall and schools have been erected, recreation ground has been reserved, and it is proposed to rent dairy farm in order to secure q supply of pure milk. It need scarcely be said that great advantage must result from encouraging workmen to build their own houses.
 Unhappily at the present time there seems growing tendency among certain sections of the working classes to rely upon very different agencies for amehorating their condition. have had occasion, when discussing the question of the standardization of the land, to point out the unfortunate eagerness which is now too frequently displayed to seek aid from the State. It is not necessary to repeat the reasons which induce me to think that the more people are permitted to ob- tain aid from the State, the less likely are they to cultivate those habits of thrift and self-restraint without which it is vain to hope for any real advance in the social 'and economic condition of the country. Cooperation has been sometimes de scribed as a soc;alistic movement It is impossible, however. for there to be Q wider divergence than there is between cooperation and the socialism of the present day. The most prominent char acteristic of modern socialism is that the people are 10 obtain more direct aid from the State; whereas cooperation has achiev. ed it's success by union of individual eff fort. and. far from seeking any pecuniary aid from the State, it would ask for noth- ing more than to be freed from the mis- chievous meddIing of legislative interfer- ence.
 A doctor at Newark. New Jersey, has announced four rules of life which if adopted would make his name famous. he