The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-03-09
COOPERATIVE STORES IN ENGLAND

IL. Mlhnt
COOPERATIVE STORES IN ENGLAND.
For some months spirited controversy
has been carried on in English newspapers and
magazines between shopkeepcrs on the one
hand and the partsans of the cooperative plan
on the other. There are several points worth
noting in this discussion both on account Of
the Intrinsic interest attaching to nm economic
reform. and because a striking difference Ia
brought out between the English and American
systems OF distribution. which would be apt to
render similar cooperative experiments in this
country less profitable.
A cooperative store. in tho English use Of the
term. seems to be q species Of corporation
which purchases supplies ut wholesale. and re-
tails them at n slight advance for cash to stock
holders. 1t is not TO DO COMPOUNDED with the
so-called Rochdale type OF cooperation. where
the goods are sold at normal prices. while the
profits are divided among tho consumers at the
years end. The system OF which the civil SER
vice stores are the best known examples was
started in London some twenty years ngo.
but 1t has gradually acquired such expansion
ms to threaten with ruin the old-iashioncd sort
OF tradespeople. Look. for example. at the bal
ance sheet Of single association, known MS the
Army and Navy Stores. 1t appears that the
sales Of this society amounted in the first
twolvemonth to upward OF 5000. 900. and that
they steadily rose until In the seventh year they
aggregated more than seven and n half mil
lions. Naturally alarmed by such figures the
ordinary. or self-styled Legitimate" traders
represent the movement as gross Inn
position on the great taxpayers OF the
10 ,,o,, TO- ,n.,,,,,ar, -, p..,t..-. ~,
nil no, Ill. o.,.,. a, -. - -
tn. IN, r., -, =, - -
,.,,rr,o,,a al. -, ~. -. ..','' va.
t1,,,,, !, 49,. "
80 ~ 10 'Io '"iSes' sUV'u'' onn
80, ul''uvna " i.'o 20 cont my eOih'
p'"In' "'So' '"u nun SUI" Us "n OK
o'l' 'i'o .'A ou p'ol'S' confer an un-
- "u'""'"So on '"'s0 cou'p"h'es' anu lhe
49,, nv, '"i. o"s' e0'ins 70 10 "ol,
-, -, - '"o ouppi oss'oh VI
-, - ,'1,,a l.'e"' iouiO'o ''iu een.i-
-. =" "ou'a I"'Ss 'no
So p.o,,s VI Wv s,oI's 70 IN eA-
~, ~ ,urnyo 'i'o oonu','on OF 'ne OF
- '''s '' ""o'.'u' 'no iH''er mas
- Su'i" ~, ~ appears .n"'
49, Co., ~" sS .i', 70 'i'aNv ucuuc-
inono'' anu 10 IL, mem nave ms
RI ~ ,"'oS, ou' A"''hE Secuiou
,'a.sts -. - ."'' ~" VI puHi'etH
~. - -, N'''''e'' " e"0H'
- -, uo' ~ "p"o'u,iS Vi BUTTS
III. IL. -, ~ ~ ''Oa,
~, ,r.I. .,''',., - W '..4's' oo'u
81, r. TO-. ,,,.., - -, '"e'' o"n
,oa,,ar =, 10, h,,,,..,... 49,.
~ s,arI..s -, ~ 80 s-O 80 'll'So'' W
,,ust l.. ,,,,n,,,., a., ,,,,,,,,, -. .S,
from the same manufacturers Another falIacv
propounded by the adyoca,es of co5peration IL
that any man who expects a larger pront ON his
goods than another il Of necessity rogue. or
course il is not a question of honesty Mt nil but
simply Of policy. whether trader shall nut A
prohibtive price upon his wares Besides
there enters into the capital OF an established
dealer the element Of experience and rrputa.
ton. on which he has a right to set a money
value.
No doubt the real glst OF the ill-feelin0 exist
ing on the part Of the retailers is TO be found
not in the principle OF co0peration or in il
methods Of transacting business. or even in the
fact OF being undersold. but in the undeniabls
success OF the system Nor ara any OF tho re-
strictons suggested by London traders likely
to thwart a plan OF distribution Trimmed on the
axiom that men will be prompted by tho instinct
OF self-intercst to buy in the cheapest market
But II may be said that this princiule unlrrlies
all trade. and that something else must be
found to account for the disbursement OF the
old fashioned dealer 10y the cooperative store
This other something seems to be nothing els.
than tho introduction OF ready money trans
actions so that after oil. the contest now racine
in Great Britain is not so much betwesn classes
or systems as between cash and credit
The fact is that tradespeopla in England ara
suffering from n reaction against the ip,olnr-
ablo abuses of the creait svstem Thev nre ~,
more rosponsibl, than th. c,ns,r,..,. D.. ,h,
rank iniustics ~ ,,racticss ,,r.lnr ,rI,i.h ,r,.
honest customer has IN MAJ, t,r hal -. ~,
the snenlthrin Bnt tina r.r,,5, ,,o'r.'I,.,'
onerntive trnd in tb. firm ~ oI'oo,, s,,,'.,,t ~.
cnsh was t,o sip,nl, not ,yi, s,.it, al r,.t'
acc.rtnncn. Tbo trno co,,r., ,,,r',,r. .',,.
.,ostn1 Inv common s.rso ~ r,,,,l,sL r,,.n
would bo NOT III, ,r,,oso, stril-, -, 49,,
manufacturers who f,,r,i.b o,t,o.o,t,,,
much les. Legislative ohstr,.,ior Inn, -. -,
10 tho s,t,o ec,ro,,i, ,o,,io. o,l .....,.'
ton Of th.ir bnsi,,ass an n cash hasis ,rI'ists.
nlreodv besp dono hv ,o ,,,.,r, tar li'',.a1
tra,lesmon ma whole ho,Ls.,,It,., ,....r, ~.
oYo,n,,ls ia M, non, ~ - t - 10
- - 80 ~" '"''N"~'0u "n ''s" pI'hc'p's'
IL appears. 100. mat many retail grocers have
adopted the same plan md now send ont rcstv
NANCY ,ri,, Iists nit, AZ. i,,,. a., - '''1
''N'N 'iN'''N 80 ~" 10 Ni4'o- VI NiNll
'0' N',lcs' Anu the SIGNS are thAt middle