Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-02-19

The last number of the Anaheim
Californian contains report from
Joint committee appointed by the four
Oranges in the south end of this
county, relative to the Grange Co-ope-
rative Company movements of Los
Angeles and San Bernsrdino counties.
The report favors withdrawing from
the Los Angeles Grange Company al
ready incorporated, and the formation
of a new company that shall establish
store at some point yet to be decided
upon and to be run by and patronized
by the four Granges-Fairview, of
Anaheim, Fruitland, Of Tustin City,
Orange, of Richland and Westminster.
There appears to be but one side to
the question as regards the advisable
ty of some such movement, but the
question of hOD to move seems to be
open to discussion. Cooperative
movements of this kind are not al
ways successful, and it appears that
the failures in that line are to be at
tributed not to the fundamental prin-
ciples of cooperation, but to the basis
of operation and the circumstances
surrounding the organizations. Keep
ing this idea in view it would be we'll
for our Granger friends to "make
haste slowly" and not allow their
zeal to lead them into fatal mistakes.
1t Is easier to start right than to cor
rect errors. There are potent reasons
why one strong company, with large
capital and credit, could operate to the
advantage of the masses better than
several weaker companies. 1t is not
true that a cooperative store can
handle goods cheaper than an individ-
nal enterprise, only as it concentrates
in one establishment the trade that is
usually dispersed among many. Hence
a cooperative store in a locality, the
trade of which would only support
small store under the old programme,
wsuld be failure.
Too many cooperative stores will
tend to overdo the business, and the
expenses will be so great in proportion
to the amount of trade that the pa
irons of such stores will not realize the
benefits sought.
This Grange cooperative movement
should be made with great delibera-
ton, and too much must not be under
taken at once. If one strong company,
sustained by all the Patrons in Los
Angeles and San Bernardino counties,
could be established, with one store in
Los Angeles, a second at Anaheim,
and third at San Bernardino, with
shipping points at Anaheim Landing
and Wilmington-or such other points
as could be successfully used-and the
entire business of the company placed
In the hands of competent business
man, then the cooperative business
could be carefully tested, and branch
stores could then be established at
such points as might be thought best.
There appears to be no disposition
on the part of the managers of the
company to concentrate the trade in
this city. They desire that the natural
trade of San Bernardino county shall
be concentrated at some point ia that
county, and that the natural trade of
the south end of Los Angeles county
shall be concentrated at some point in
that vicinity. They also desire that
the produce of Anaheim and vicinity
shall be handled through the ports of
Anaheim Landing or Newport, pro-
vided it is to the financial benefit of
the farmers of that section SO to ham
die it. They desire that the south end
of the county shall have all the adj
vantages of separate company, to-
gether with the strength of stronger
combination.
There is no hurry; let the subject be
thoroughly discussed, that all parties
may have thorough understanding
of all the points at issue. A course
can then be adopted that will result in
the greatest good to the greatest num-
Der.