Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-04-16
Cooperative Stores.

In article |, after cooperative stores" l
would insert "under the firm m anne of A.
b. & Co. In article 3. instead of land shall
not be less than the lowest market rates."
&C., would say las near ten per cent rs
circumstances will allow, but not less than
ten per cent"
In some localities merchants profits are
too high, and should be brought down to
reasonable price. And then If goods are
sold for pay down it does not require so
much profit as when on time, and in some
cases to all eternity. have done business
enough in this line to DO satisfied that ten
per cent pay down on goods will yield as
good n profit on the capital invested rs in
general farming.
also think il would be good idea to
make the rate of interest eight per cent, to
induce people to take stock and become
members. ii. 5. CHAPLIN.
Of course when store got so far in its
organization as to frame the articles of co.
operation, a name would be adopted.
Though of course, until the plan is put in
practice, we can only conjecture the results
Of certain modes of procedure, yet it would
seem that the second proposition of Mr..
Chaplin would be unwise. The Patrons and
Sovereigns, through their buying of goods in
bulk, have in many cases been the means of
driving dealers into reduction of prices.
The benefit of this reduction, though it was
axoI,,a;yal,, tha Fru,k of tha Datronsj or Gov
ereigns' labor, has been shared by the gen.
eral public,-by friends and foes of the or
ders alike, while in some cases the members
have had to fight long, tedious, uphill bat
tie. Now "the laborer is worthy of his
hire" and if grange organizes co.opera-
tive store on this or any similar plan, it is
but fair that 1t should reap as many as pos
sible of the benefits. If goods are sold at
the prevailing rates, those who put their
money into the store, as well as those who
have, against opposition, united with the or
der, who have paid the cost Of the building
up of the enterprise, receive its full benefit.
To members of the order the goods are vir-
tually sold at the low rate, through the quar-
terly dividend, and in addition they have a
similar share of all the profits on goods sold
to outsiders This will have beneficial
tendency in more ways than one. Every
member of the order will realize that he has
direct pecuniary interest, lin the shape of
his quarterly dividend) in the amount Of
business done, and will throw all the patron
age possible into the cooperative store, and
outsiders will find in this quarterly dividend
an inducement to join the grange which will
tend to largely increase its membership.
The greatest obstacle in the way of grang-
es and councils obtaining specially advan-
tageous terms with dealers has been the fact
that outsiders would say "If the dealer sells
to A. or b. cheaper than he will to me, sim
ply because they happen to belong to the or.
der, will trade somewhere else." On the
plan recommended last week there is no d.
rect favoritism, goods being sold to all par
ties at the same price, 50 this objection is
done away with.
OF course, if a cooperative store be start
ed, the merchants will be very likely to at.
tempt to trammel and embarrass it as much
as possible. One of the tricks they will re
sort to will be to sell goods at and below
cost, to 'run" the new enterprise. But We
imagine store operated on the plan recon-
mended need not be very easily killed
through such course. The shareholders
leach have but very limited amount Of cap
ital invested, and do not in any way depend
upon the business of the store for their sup
port If other merchants begin to sell be
low cost the Patrons can lock their store and
buy their goods for use, where they can gel
them the cheapest When the merchant
conclude they have sold below cost lonl
enough, and begin to raise the prices, we shall
probably see the door Of the co-operativ,
store unlocked, and its share OF patronag
return to it. All this we expect to see with
in five years. We shall probably see fail
ures as we'll as successes in this kind Of en-
terprises; but the principles Of the plan o
Mr. Earle look so safe that We confess GU
objections against cooperative stores are il
measure done away with.
Confidence is said to be plant of sloy
growth, but one of the greatest causes Of tn
old union stores was a superabundance O
this very article. For the good ofthose VIII
may embark in such enterprises, and for tn
good of the working people in general, VIII
should be benefited by the cooperative cas-
store and the reduction in the cost of liVinl
which it may bring about, we sincerely hop
that however much confidence may be place
in those entrusted with the business, thoug
the most honest and incorruptible man j
Chrstendom be chosen as agent, whereve
such an enterprise is launched the sharehold
ers will look iOeH TO the bonds, snd see tina
they are ample in amount and signed b
thoroughly responsible parties. The danger
which threaten any institution Of the kin
from laxity in this respect cannot be easil
over-estimated.
Whether it would be advisable to max
the rate of interest higher than six per cer
is an open question. If one man we're to il
vest thousand or two of dollars in such a
institution it would probably be necessary
make the rate higher, but as the capital
to come from many individuals in shares (
SIS, $40, &c., no one being allowed to tax
any large quantity of stock, and as in mo-
cases in manufacturing village like S
Johnsbury this money would either be save
out of the weekly earnings, or drawn frOl