Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-28
ENGLISH WORKINGMEN.
Co-OperativeS stores and tire MAN.
uerbu which They Started.


most carefully collected and boarded.
From these humble beginnings the
movement has spread among vast num-
ber of working classes throughout Eng
land and Scotland. In 1852 the amount
of sales by cooperative societies in the
United Kingdom was less than 81 mill
ions sterling. 10 1888 (the last returns
made out) the sales amounted to more
than 2S millions, the number OF socie
ties which made returns OF their busi-
ness to the Central Board was ll57, and
the total profits amounted to p millions
and the money applied to education
amounted to nearly l6, 900 pounds.
In the twenty year, lS62-S2, the total
sales amounted to 2754 millions, and the
profits to nearly % millions. All this,
it must be remembered, is workiugmen's
money, and the whole of this business
is managed by workingmen themselves
or though representatives whom they
have elected from their own numbers.
To show more clearly what an inn
mense hold cooperation has over GER
tain districts, the fact may be men,
toned that in the county of Durham the
members of CO operative socities amount
to more than 30 per cent. OF the total
populations; in Yorkshire, to q per
cent in Lancashire, to p per cent. in
Cumberland, to "a per cent, and IN
Northumberland, to 2la per cent. Thus
in some of the great centers OF English
industry large proportion of the work.
ing classes are attached to the move-
ment. At present the societies are
larger and more numerous in the north
than in the south.
The usual way in which store is
started in town or village is that some
workingman who is leading spirit
among his fellows hears what Is being
done by workipgmen co-operators in
England or Scotland. He talks the mat
ter over with his friends, obtains and
circulates tracts bearing upon the sub.
iect, aud finally he and his friends make
up their minds to see if they can start a
society. A small provisional committee
is then appointed, which enters into
communication with other workingnen
Ill the place. The next step is very Of
ten to hold public meeting to which
the Central Board of the Cooperative
Union Is always willing to send two or
more speakers free of charge, and at the
close of such meeting "a very slight
amount of urging will probably induce
a good many people to give their names
as members OF the proposed society.
This done, a certain amoant OF money
must be collected before start can be
made. The whole system is based npon
ready money dealing, and each store
must have ready money to pay for its
outfit before it makes beginning Some
of the committee act as collectors ana
push the matter as well as they can. If
a shop is to be opened all day there
should be at least fl30 of capital, one
hundred members and fair prospect of
doing trade of from f40 to ESQ week.
Nothing less will insure payment Of ex.
penses and fair dividend.
member of such q store it is only neces-
sary to deposit Is Sd. That done, the
store is open to any one of any class
who may wish to belong to it. The
member, whether man or woman, or one
of the family, goes to the store, which
may be building worth 1000 pounds,
or one rented at 5 pounds year; in
either case the methods are exactly the
same. He buys goods at the ordinary
market price of the town or village, for
which he pays ready money over the
counter, and on no pretext whatever is
credit allowed. When the purchase is
done the shopman gives him tin or pa.
per tokens, stamped or marked so as to
show how much he has spent, whether
it be sixpence or several pounds. These
tokens are kept till the end of the quar-
ter, for it is upon the amount he has
spent at the store that his dividend or
share of profits depends.
Such member is not allowed to with
draw the whole of his first dividend.
He is bound to leave a sum equal to Sd
per week until he is shareholder to the
amount of at least l.pound share, in
order that the society may have some
working capital of its own to fall back
upon. After he has got this l.pound
share he may withdraw all future divi-
dends if he chooses. If he is wise, he
will let it accumulate at the store. which
will thus become his savings bank, and
will pay him per cent.
After time he may find himself in
possession of so or 100 pounds in the
store, as is the case with hundreds of
working people, the savings being The
result of no other effort on their part
than that of paying ready money for
their daily supplies. From the very be-
ginning member may attend the
monthly and quarterly meetings, where
important matters are discussed, and
there he finds that his vote counts for
Just as much as that of the member who
may have 200 pounds of share capital.
The constitution of these societies is en-
tirely democratic; all are equal there;
each has one vote, and none has more
than one vote.
If we take two definite examples, one
of a great town cooperative society, and
another of a village society, we may per-
haps be able to grasp the Importance OF
these businesses conducted with work
ingmen's money and entirely under the
workingmen's management. The larg-
est of the town distributive societies Is
at Leeds. At the end of 1884 it mum.
bered over $4,000 members, its share
capital amounted to 222, 900 pounds, and
its loan capital to over 1900, while it
had reserve fund of nearly 5000
pounds. The value of its land, build.
ings and fixed stock was l65, 900 pounds;
the money received over the counter dur
ing the year amounted to nearly 500. 900
pounds, and the total net profits to
IS. 900 pounds.
The second example is of village CO.
operative society. 1t is obvious that
any movement which, like cooperation,
encourages spirit of self-reliance is, if
anything, of greater Importance in the
country districts than in the large towns.
So far, from social and from an educa-
tional point of view, the agricultural
laborer is at great disadvantage com.
pared with the skilled artisan. Except
where the Agricultural Laborers' Union
has worked, he is isolated and almost
entirely dependent upon his employer.
The onething needful to improve his
general condition is to afford him an op.
portunity to educate himself. The in