Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1884-07-12

which was divided as follows:
Dividend on members purchases. -...$ lOl. 4s5 |
Dividend on -inembrrs' purchases. I.ts5
Bonus on employees wages ..... 5000
Grant to n-wsrOOms and library Tor use
Ui m'lnDers ..:----' o.ooo |
Annual donations 10 hospitals. infrma-
Transferred tn r,spry. fanu 2,l60 |
Thus it will be seen that the share
holders get 5 per cent on their capital,
and in addition 10 per cent. on their
which if taken together, is
equal to about 20 per cent. on the
amount of their capital invested. Under
the old system OF trading, the stock
keeper would have reserved the whole
OF the profit to himself. but co-opera-
ton, as illustrated, acknowledges the
right of consumers to share in the
profit made on their purchases. Capital
would have made nothing. Specimens
of actual results, taken from the same
society's share ledger, could be given,
showing where members had only at
first invested the small sum of five dol
lars, but who afterward allowed their
interest and dividend to remain with
the society, and by this means alone
had, in the course Of few years,
amounts ranging from 100 to 500 dol
lars standing to their credit. Cooper
alton is a system by which habits OF
thrift and economy are encouraged.
Many are the persons now having funds
invested in cooperative societies and
elsewhere, who would never have had
any saving if it had not been for these
societies instilling the desire, and show
81 no r,lf n
save. AS these societies become firmly
established on good sound busines prin-
pies, truly it may be said, they be-
come saving banks for the working
classes. Capital has accumulated to
such ali extent with some societies, that
the board Of managers have found
themselves with more capital than they
could profitably employ i'll their busl-
ness, and rather than take the RESPONSE
bility of investments elsewhere, they
have cut down the largest sharehold-
ers by reducing the number OF shares
held by them. Societies are always
ready to issue shares to new members;
thus shares never sell at a premium ,and
a society can never become a monopoly,
as the benefits will be equally shared
by all who join.
There are in Great Britain 300 So
cieties which are classed as industrial
and provident societies (being distinct
from those classed as jolnt-stook COM
panies.) Out OF the l,3OO societies,
924 made returns for the year 1882 as
having 3,345 members, with
Share capital observation-disclosures 80, 40 40
loan o,ai saaa satas sold duiins ,he year III g, 40
Total not pr"ht during the y ar. lo G'',elo
Total am 'unl applied 10 newsro"ms o.o
aud libraries iur u.e of mcRibtrs io,ooo
In the year 1864 number of English
retail societies entered into Il federation
by which Cooperative Wholesale
Society was established. In the year
1868 the Scottish societies followed
their example BY establishing Whole
sale Society t0r Scotland. Societies
only can become members of these so.
cieties. The object is for the purpose
of aggregating the purchasing power
of the retail societies, and 10 bring
them into c.oser contact with the pro-
ducer, thus adding the profit OF the
! wholesale merchant to that OF the retail
trade, and by this means increasing
the individual consumers profit. The
wholesale co-operaiive movement is a
bond of union by Which the various So
cieties throughout the Country are
brought into closer contact with each
other, and thereby have an opportuni
ty of stimulating and encouraging each
other; it is means by which we'll
managed societies are able to direct,
assist and foster young and inexperi-
enced societies. The great success at.
tanned by the Wholesale Societies is
shown in the following figures. Mum
Der of societies holding shares SIG
number OF members belonging to So
cieties holding shares, 451 $50; share
and loan capital, $3,7Oa.o5o; reserve
fund, $l42 .l75; marine reserve, or in
surance tund, Sll5,435: goods sol,
during the year 1882, $25 ,694, So; lie
profit on sales during the year 1882
1854 ,3S5; total goods sold since com
mencement, Sl94, 4,5O6, ,l25; total ne
profit since commencement, $2,7O4 ,475
The net profit is the gain, after pay
ing all expenses and ) per cent. on cap
ital, and has been divided among retail
societies in proportion to their pur-
chases. The profit may be considere'
ear gain, after selling goods at mer
chants wholesale prices, which unde
other conditions would have remaine
in the hands OF private wholesale mel
chants.
1t may be said that co operation ha
been tried in America, and in som
cases failed; but this is no reason VIII
we ought to be discouraged. Englan
ut first had many failures, both in pre-
ductive and distributive cooperation
but there have been no more fai ures i
cooperative enterprises, nor Us many i
proportion to the business done, q
i there have been i'll private enterprise:
I America ought to profit considerabl
g on the past experience OF co-operator:
n both at home and abroad. 1t will b
d well to remcnber that there are vari
t so called forms OF cn-OperatiOn ION
d is that of II few individual capitalist
:. working together with The object
o taking all the profit themselves, but I'll
If true Jninl is that i'll which the right {
: cuDitdi, !ubOreIs and consumers are re-
oguiZcd: it is this which holds uut til
l. prospect of the greatest good To Il
greatest number; to honest thrift
T. workmen, it means mode of escal
"a from present evils, and the hope
e much future good.
Il Under the Cn-nperative lndustri
Il and Provident Societies Act of Gre,
q Britain, All individual member can on
: hold shares to the number allowed
ls the rules of the society, which must n,
in any case exceed a total nominal walt
OF one thousand dollars. 1t is no doul
owing to this limit of individual inves
ment that large savings belonging
q. co-operators have found Investment
X building societies and postotiice savin!
4