The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-10-16
BRIrIsn co-oprRarrrE SOCIETIES

|
| sumsr the profits hitherto absorbed nv middle
men; for example, by grocors. butchers c lothiers
md other puryeyors of toe N .cessaries OF lifr.
| The report however of the so-c He'd Central
Board road 40 tho last Cooperative Congress he Id
| in Glasgow Ia calculated to excite profound T.
| tonisnment and seems to forcshadov "A sweep
| irg revolution In the conditions OF distribution.
| 10 appears that these societies now aggregate
nrore than 10000 heads of families, representing
100000 OF individuals; that their collective
pital exceeds s2l01O go, and That their annual
| consumption now Constitutes o le-fourteenth OF
that ascrioed to the whole nation.
Tue system whose v neral apple ,tlon exhibits
such remark bic results. was devised by tho Ia
nous Pioneers OF RDohdis. Instead ~ selling
merchandise at cost price, augmented bya slight
PROVISION fir the expense of n ming, these 40
cieties, like ordinary dealers, extct prOlts.
winch, however are distr juted at stated pc
riods under the form Of Ovid ends, amonr the
associated oonsumcrs The difference between
| these two methods which at arst STINT an lsars
merely formal IA I'm r. lity OF great Importance,
since A. has been demon .tr,tod TINT moro thnn
| baif NJ tha ann thus a.ved ia c,nltalized AMI
becomes A potent instrument Of m ,teriaI eman-
citation for the working cIa,ses, wnlpb contrib
| MA nm im,,ansa N, ioritv of men,bers tn the 90
| operative COMPANIES. The accumulation OF
| copital IA not the only beneat tesuItlne from
this svstem Tho dtyiIends realize ed are usually
allowed to remain in the treasures OF tho cor
poratiops which are thus eli ,bed TO supplement
their function of distrlbution with Largo com
! p,erci A onera,ions Those are not only debated
and detsrminea I'm the neriodie,l assemblies.
| but f,rp, tho constant then,e of utiv,ts discua
| sion and In Thu tvay tho EnoIish conaunpr ac-
ouiras a practical ann .intance with mercantile
eg,,rs and tho IA "a ~ Iu.ystiva inveatn,ent NOT
e,sly attain,bls BY the great body OF artisans In
| other countrias
A few vears ago. when prit,sh coijoerative ns-
| socia,ions md h.oun In gnin n not.hle exnan-
| s,oo nm animal Con.,.sa yva. t,s,t,u,ad and
| sona eu,nao, naraoo tr,analv N tho pova
! m.,t. though not enoagea In IL. has usunl-
10 bean asked m onen The sessiona with an
sddrass rhus In 1874 s, U,u,,x Thom,s
| p,assov son ~ tho famous railway con
tr ,ctor. presided, and last year. in Lon
| don Tbo,old Roser. formerlv Profeasor Of
| Political rconomv in the un,versitv Of Oxford
rbe orgapizers Of the recent Congreas invitod
DIR. C,,rd. Professor OF Political Economv NJ
Glasgow. 10 take the chair. and DR.. uodsson.
who holda n sirnil,r positIon I'm the University of
Elinbur,b IN nronouncs nm inau0ural dis
cour.e I, IA IN ina renor, of tina VI ,ndtny Com
ml,tee. snbm,t,ed an this accession. that wa are
indebtcd for some Interesting parttcuIars
A, tho close q, 1874 thcre existed IN the united
KINGDOM nearly 1 4oo co ancrative societies. most
NJ which wore distrinutiye as,ociations From
two-thiraa Of than the committee oad received
a statement OF accounts, by wnich It appears
that IN the course OF tho year they had pur-
chased merchandise to the amount of $I0O)0,0)0.
By A sale Of these products they had realized n
net profit OF more than S0,O01,0Ol tho whole Of
which. with the exception of small reserve
fund, was distributed among the consumers. 1t
was further noted that the nunoer Of these in
situations had been augmented by forty In the
same period, and that the aggregate dividends
we're larger by one-tentn than in the previous
year. Among the ret III cooperative societies
are two which deserve Especial menton-the
so-called civil service stores, organized by Gov
eminent employees In London. These are the
\ object oil vehement attack on the part OF Lon
don shopgeepers, because, unlike the majority
OF such leagues, they are accustomed 10 sell
merchandise at the cost price.
| Nv tho confederation of retail assoct1tt ons
-. tia..I, .,,,.,,as h.v ,aoo ,,r,,n,,.,
'"' ""o'070 ''' '' w" " -
one At Manchester, with branches at London
| aud Newcastle. and the other At Glasgow. Their
,,t,.i ,,,,t,l i,,tn, ths mat VAR Wa nat r