The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-05-29
COOPERATION.

time ago that would give you an account
of English cooperation. have deferred
that until now, as | hoped that | should
be able to report something that would be
Of vast moment to the people Of the Miss
issippi valley, especially to the grangers.
To tell you that body numbering near
ly 5OO,O 900 of the most industrious and en-
terprising men Of England, had, through
their central board, taken the initiatory
step necessary to open up direct trade be-
tween tins country and the Mississippi
valley, would be, indeed, of startling in
terest Well, before | get through | shall
say more than this, and shall speak of per-
fected arrangements. Like the grangers
are now doing, the English co-operators
have srled all sorts of schemes to carry
united action to success. Only one result
has followed all departures from the plan
OF 1.-THE pioneers, who, forty years ago.
resolved to try what they could do to help
each other, and that has been failure
The only true (because successfully method
is called the Rochdale plan If co-opera-
tIon.
This only has stood the test of exper-
lence, and is as follows number Of
men form themselves into societies and
organize under the act Of parliament
known as ''the industrial provident soci-
cites act, which is a general act, not much
unlike the general act OF Louisiana, under
which companies can be formed. but It is
an ACT IN which the liability Of each mem
Der Is limited to the amount Of his sub
sR ptIon. " hen the article If ASSOCIATION
are registered managing committee is
elected, who proceed to rent or purchase
store Tor business purposes. | have vis-
tied many of these stores. and lind that
they are divided into different depart
nents The first is usually grocery de-
partment, which is followed, as the com
pany prospers. by "a ''drapery,' or dry
goods department, boot and shoe depart
ment, bakery, butcher shop, tailoring and
sometimes millinery departments They
have also, IN most instance, S reading
room, well stocked with newspapers and
magazines, and library, and in some in
stances good lecture halls and even chemi-
cal laboratories.
When the stores are ready for business
they engage storekeeper aud clerks, then
purchase n stock Of goods Many Of the
societies, now the most fourishmg, began
business on less than one hundred dollars
Everything Is purchased and sold for cash;
thoss who have tried the credit system
have all failed. The statesmen are sup
piled with tin AUD copper tickets, CORES
ponding with the CONS of the country.
from half-penny to one pound and over.
one pound in copper. These checks are
gwen to the purchasers AS they pay for !
their goods If child purchases half
penny worth Of candy, il receives a check Z
indicating that one half-penny has been !
spent at the store. II a woman purchases
pound If tea or coffee, 4 sack ~ -four.
JOINT Of meat Or anything else, her checks
show exactly how much y. has spent,
and these are carried home and preserved
When the tin tickets show that the pur-
chases have amounted to one pound they
are returned to the store aud a copper
check, showing that one pound has been
expended, Is gwen in return. These are
preserved until the end Of the quarter.
and then used as We shall presently ex-
PLAIN.
The goods are sold IT the ordinary price
demanded by regular dealers no more,
no less but great care is taken to exclude
all adulterated articles and to prevent all
fraud. Chemists are employed by some
Of the companies, and should any Of the
committees Of management suspect an ar
tlcle, a sample Is Immediately forwarded
Tor analysis, and the goods are not sold
until report has been received Thus
goods sold IN cooperative store have a
Just reputation for purity. This advan-
tage has, however, not been attained with
out trouble. Of course it has been found
/ that it was Impossible to purchase and sell
pure articles at as low price as the sdul-
terated, and when the members saw other
stores selling goods at lower prices than
the co-operatives, they at first complained
but they are now better educated and have
learned that it is cheaper to pay fair
price for pure article, than a lower price
] for an adulterated one Among the know
ing ones there has never been any diff
| Guilty.
At the end Of every quarter balance
sheet is presented to full meeting, con
tanning full statement Of every transac-
ton. These are, for the most part, admi-
rably drawn up, and are freely criticised
by the members. So sharp are the mem
bers that it would appear that fraud is
impossible. When the amount Of profits
has been ascertained, division is usually
made as follows
/. of the net profits 2A per cent. is
placed to the credit of the educational de-
partment, and is used to pay the expenses
of the library and reading room. and any
lectures they may have had.
2. Five per cent. is paid as interest on
capital. The capital, of course, belongs
to the members.
3. A proportion, varying with clrcum-
stances and locality, is placed in the re-
serve fund to meet emergencies.
4. The balance is divided among the pur-
chasers, according to the amount Of their
purchas S. Non-members who trade at
their stores have half as much as mem
bers.
lind that this dividend Oh purchases
varies from Is to 2s Sd. the pound. TO
ascertain how much is due to each the
tickets referred to above are returned and
the dividend is paid in cash, OF permitted
to remain to the share credit of the mem
Der. 1t IS usually permitted to remain,
and these savings have been the growing
wealth and power of English cooperation.
In the first instance the capital is usu-
, ally paid in, the shares being one pound
each. This Of course is necessary to raise
the first working capital but after the
store has been started, fifteen pence is
usually all that is necessary to enable a
, person to Join the society. Three pence
of this is for book II rules and receipt
of deposit The member then begins to
trade, but in this case the dividends on
his purchases are carried t. the account Of
his share until the pound has been paid,
and of course until the share is paid, he
receives no five per cent. interest on capi-
tai. There are tens Of thousands Of peO-
ple in England who up to the time they
! Joined the cooperative societies had never
] saved penny, have now large sums accu-
i mulated in the manner above described
The accumulation is by sort Of double
/, compound interest, and soon mounts up.
! The average interest is said to be as high