The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-06-11
"A STRONG PULL AND PULL ALI
TOGETHER"

vision stores and manufacturing opera
tions have been remarkable successful in
many instances, both in England and
the United States, and have given con-
slant employment and fair remuneration
to those who were compscted together.
Production of all things is of course gov
erned moro or less by demand, and the
same hsrdships Of which tho working
men complain are felt to
great extent By the capitalists
and producers. The cooperative busi-
ness also teels this depression,
and its profits have to be lessened. In
some cases savings banks and mutual in
surance companies are added to these
concerns, and although many OF them
have failed from the incapacity or dis
honesty OF the managers, still, AL that Is
neeIpd To make them successful is TO have
careful, skilled and trustworthy men al
the h5lm. Tho system in itself Is good
one and only requires tsir test
to make it popular among the poorer
classes. In Pittsburgh during several
wears past, many OF these men, instead
of putting their money IN shaky savings
banks or other corporations where it
would have probably been swallowed up
/ in the numerous failures, have COM
bined their capital and have erected iron
mills which have been doing large
trade As the shrewd correspondent OF
the New York Hcraid, who visited Pitts
burgh 3 short time ago, says, many OF the
largest and weslthiest manufacturers
are only just beginning to feel the
competition Of these men who
understand every detail of the business
better than they 10 themselves, and as
they require less, they are content with
small profits and can sell at low figures.
Oaly one of the mills started on this plan
has not succeeded and that was because
of q lack OF an efficient head in conduct
ing financial matters. The others are
doing well and their number is incress-
INC on the West side of the city; the
farmers Of tho ncighborhood in some
cases sre taking stock in them. One of
these workmen-manager says that
he and several of his fellow
workmen saved their money FOR several
wears, and then as they were experts in
certain branches of iron manufacture,
they started a mill lie put in $4,000
and the others contributed smaller
amounts. Although they were owners
they were sll credited with regular
wages-the machinist, the mailer, the
roller, the heater-eaCh man got his
price, and was allowed to draw q certain
amount extra in proportion TO the size of
his family. They seldom draw the full
sum which is due them, and it goes to
their credit. At the end Of the year
any Of the partners can draw this money
ont of the concern, but il he does not do
| so he is allowed certain interest as this
wages account is his own individual
capital The entire profits of tho COM
pany, like in any other partnership, are
credited TO the individual account o: the
/ members, but this is never drawn out as
1t helps materially 10 increase the joint
capital. This concern was started five
years ago, and though times have been
very hard, the man who gave
this information said he had
made more money than If he had re-
NAMED at work with his old employers.
! The members Of the firm were all me-
chanics except two, one Of whom was Il
salesman and the other an expert book
keeper. The one great advantage
apart from no more fear of having
their wages cut down at the will of their
bossos-was that they could undersell the
! other manufacturers, on account of being
willing to put up with small profits.
! Capitalists and large corporations arc
subject 10 many disadvantages which the
cooperative concerns 10 not have to
contend with. Their expenses are greater
and they will take greater risks. When
their is glutted market their sales have
to be made at heavy sacrifice in order
to meet current expenses. Cooperation
cannot take the place Of associated capt.
tai on large scale, but it can success
fully compete with it TO a
certain extent without being exposed to
the same dangers 1t is q certain pre-
yentivo to Communism or Socialism, for
it must have law and order to make it
pay, and as the great body of the work
ingmen would sympathiza with those
who were themselves workmen, these
concerns would be the surcst safeguards
therefore against such eruptlons Of dis
csscd passions.