Delta chief., 1885-12-02
THECO-OPERATIvEsYsTEM

An International Organization Propoo.
cd.
Washington Corr. St. Louis Globe-Demo-
crat.
Consul Lathrop at Bristol sends a
report to the state department upon
the wonderful development of the CO.
operative system in England. Accord
ing to the latest statistics there were l.
264 cooperative retail societies in the
united kingdom. The business trans
acted by them in twenty years reach
ed the sum OF 81 1899, 600, 900, and the
profits divided among the members
amounted to S1O6, 100000.
The second step has been taken
successfully, and now retail societies
are forming considerations to obtain
their supplies by wholesale corpora
ton. The beginning was made with
food products. Then the wholesale
dry-goods business was taken up, and
transactions in this line the past year
amounted to over a million dollars.
Next the considerations went into
the furniture business. They estab-
lished butter buying agencies in Ire
land, and now handle the largest sup
plies OF butter shipped from Ireland
to England. They have purchasing
branches in Hamburg and Copenha-
gen, and have their own steamers to
convey their purchases. Their agent
in New York shipped them over a mill
ion dollars worth OF American pro-
ducts last year. The headquarters of
the wholesale considerations is in
Manchester, but there are depots and
branches in all the principal cities. A
cooperative bank grew out OF the
wholesale business, and in 1888 a
showing of S7O,OOO,OOO in financial
transactions was made. Co-opera-
ton has been applied to production
as we'll as to buying and selling. The
considerations have a cracker bakery,
soap factory, a shoe shop in Leices-
ter which turns out l 100000 pairs a
year. The confederated societies un-
derwrite their own property, and thus
save insurance. They have also gone
into grain selling.
So successful has been the domestic
movement against the middlemen that
q proposition to form an information
al cooperative organization is looked
upon with considerable favor. For
tunato Parlato, the Italian econo-
mist, has outlined a plan which Mr..
Lathrop says is the subject OF much
discussion. The consul thinks the
proposition commends itself as OF
| special interest to the United States
| for several reasons, among which he
mentions these: Our manufacturers
have a surplus over home needs. The
| channels for this surplus must be new
ly cut. The expense OF doing this in
dividually is virtually prohibitive. 1t
| is at present almost impossible to OBJ
! tain active and honest agents abroad
who will properly introduce products.
| The number of middlemen through
whom the products must pass
swells the cost and thus reduc-
ing the purchases, injuries the market
| for the producer. 1t is almost impos-
sible, under present conditions, to get
accurate information as to the finan-
cial standing OF foreign buyers, and
| therefore an undue proportion of bad
| debts is incurred, and, finally, Mr..
| Lathrop cites want ofknowledge of the
tastes and requirements of foreign
markets as limiting exports from this
country.
81 believe" writes Mr.. Lathrop,
chat Mr.. Parlato's plan, or some
modification OF it-for it is capable of
infinite modifcations-is Impractical
way to surmount our difficulties, and
present it to our manufacturers and
exporters, asking its careful consider
alton, and reminding them that the
idea ofcombipation is the groundwork,
and that the superstructureb built up
on this foundation may vary in plan
and dimensions as the builders may
elect"
Mr.. Parlato proposes n company
with capital OF 100000, 900, in
shares OF S25 each, the stock to be
subscribed for in the United States
and the different colonies OF Europe.
The company's first work will be that
OF the distributor. 1t will not specu-
late by purchasing, but will take
charge of consignments. Every con-
sisnor must be a. shareholder. The
main object is to secure for the men,
bers of the company safe, speedy
and economical means of getting pro-
ducts to the consumer. Most OF the
sales will be for cash, and only the
best credit business will be allowed.
The company will do its own banking
business. 1t being an importer into,
and an exporter from various coun-
tries, it can effect its own exchanges
frequently in commodities at a mini
mum OF cost.
The man in the United States who
has plowto sell joins with the wagon
maker, the locomotive builder, the
| watch manufacturer, the wheat raiser
and the cotton grower. They know
L1 -, ,tut ,