The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1885-12-11
THE
Its Developments In EuroFs--
An International Organization PropoSs


Consul Lathrop at Bristol sends
repors 70 the state department upol
the wonderful deyelop2nent OF the co
operative SYSTEM in England. Accoro
ing TO thelatest statistics there were ],
264co-operative retail societies in th'
united kingdom. The business trans
acted by them in twenty years reach
ed the sum of 81, $3.50, 900, 600, and th,
profits divided among the members
amounted to 100000, 900.
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-
llshed 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 midi
ion dollars worth of American pro-
ducts last year. The headquarters of
the wholesale considerations is IN
Manchester, but there are depots ard
branches in all the principal cities. A
cooperative bank grew out of the
wholesale business, and in 1883 a
showing of $40, 00o,0 600 iii financial
transactions was made. Co-opera-
ton has been applied to production
as well as to buying and selling. The
considerations havea cracker bakery,
a soap factory, a shoe shop in Leices-
ter which turns out 1,O00,0 900 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
a 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 q surplus over home needs. The
channels for this surplus must benew-
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 acknowledge of the
tastes and requirements of foreign
markets az limiting exports from this
country.
IT believe" writes Mr.. Lathrop,
"that Mr.. Parlato's plan, or some
modification of it-for it is capable of
infinite Laodifcations-is the practical
way to surmount our difficulties, and
/ present it to our manufacturers and
exporters, asking it's careful consider
alton, and reminding them that the
idea denomination is thegroundwork,
and that the superstructure built up
on this foundation may vary in plan
and dimensions as the builders may
elect"
Mr.. Parlato proposes q company
with a capital Of $20,0G0,0 900, in
shares of $25 each, the stock to be
subscribed for in the United States
and the different colonies of Europe.
The company's first work will bethat
oflthe distributor. 1t will not specu-
late by purchasing, but will take
charge of consignments. Every con-
signor must be q shareholder. The
main object is to secure for the mem
bers Of the company a 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 viii be allowed.
The company will do it's own banking
business. 1t being an importer into,
and an exporter from various coun-
tries, it can effect it's own exchanges
frequently in commodities at a mini
mum of cost.
The man in the United States who
has a plowro sell joins with the wagon
maker, the locomotive builder, the
watch manufacturer the wheat raiser
and the cotton grower. They know
from the company's representatives
abroad just what is wanted, and they
send direct to these representatives
who sell it for them. There is but one
handling of the products between pro-
ducer and The producer
49, -n--I -A>M4-ll .l.-.-A.