The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-11-20
t?Er Co.opsratiye stores.


It will be strange if the visit of Mr.
George Jacob Holyoake to this country
does not result in.ss n.sstheTestablishment
here of system of cooperative stores
for the working classes, such as he has
been so largely instrumental in found
ing and carrying forward to success In
Great Britain. His addresses set forth
so clearly the manner of conducting
these stores, and describe SO well the
benefits they have conferred upon the
poorer classes, that public attention on
this side OF the Atlantic willie certain tn
be directed to the system, and some eff
fort TO introduced II in our principal cities
will naturally follow. Thel Rochdale
plan has demonstrated it's value by
an experience Of stwentyr years, that
hundreds of stores are working under it
to-day, and that they have accumulated
millions of capital and divided other
millions of profits among their members,
while furnishing pure food at the ruling
market rates, challenges attention (;
and the connected fact that the system
is the outgrowth of the intelligence.
business talent and integrity ofthe labor
ing classes, and Is not a gift to them
from men who have no need of its ad-
vantages, must create surprise and ad-
miration. We had heard in this country
a'great deal of these Rochdale stores be-
fore, but here comes the man who has
spent large share ola lifetime devoted
to philanthrophy in working out the
theory and practice upon which their
success has been based, and who now
gives us the assurance that the theory
is sound and its practical application
feasible and beneficial. The words of
such men will have vital in
terest for the American workingman
He shows them that it is possible
while purchasing needed supplies for
their families to be constantly saving
money in the direct ratio of heir pur-
chases; so that at the end of the year
that they may have fifty or a hundi ed
dollars laid by at interest where they
now have nothing. He shows, too, that
by the joint effort of many cooperative
stores a purchasing agency may be Gre
ated, commanding the services of the
best buying talent, procuring goods of
the best quality in the best market, and
insuring to the consumer, no matter
how small his purchase may be, i'm
munity from fraud and adulteration.
The cooperative store, as described by
Mr.. Holyoake, is a guarantee of good
weight, honest measure and genuine
quality, and is at the same time a saw
ings bank in which the profits on the
articles sold accumulate for the benefit
of the purchasers.
Cooperative stores are not wholly un-
known in the United States. A few
years ago . mum Der were set up in the
cities and large towns of the Eastern
and Middle States, but most of them
came to grief. In many cases they were
speculations under the guise of philan-
thropy; in others they were badly man.
aged. five are not mistaken, they were
all founded on the principal, which has
been abandoned as a failure in England,
of selling close down to the cost price,
ana thus underselling the regular shops.
They maintained no general purchasing
agency, and could give their customers
no better opportunity for getting articles
free from adulteration, than could the
other retail concerns. Their failure is
no argument against the introduction
of the system which las succeeded so
well in England. These who are dis
posed 70 make the attempt should realize,
however, that there is no magic in the
name cooperative which will make un-
skillfulness and shiftlessness succeed,
and should understand that business
sagacity and strict integrity are essen
tial features Of the Rochdale plan.-Neac
York T1.ibu,le