The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-07-17
RUSSIAN COOPERATION.
Outline OF the Peculiar system OF Combina
g5 tions Existing in Russia.

Outline OF the Peculiar system Of COmbina-
tions Existing in Russia.
In these days of profit-sharing and CO.
operative movements in this country, it
is well to look to the success of older
movements in other countries Colonel
Wright has done servive in present
ing in his recent report of the Massa-
ehusetts Labor Bureau n comprehensive
summary on corporation in Great
Britain. We think it would be well if
the systems of other European countries
were presented in future reports.
The Russian people have a peculiar
form of cooperation, the following out
line of which will prove of interest to
the readers. 1t consists of combina-
tion or club, called artell, and is, to a
certain extent, akin to the cooperative
societies of West Europe. They might
almost be called temporary associations
In nomadic communities, artells are
unions of handicraftsmen, carriers, serv-
ants, etc., the object of which is to pro-
vide work, and sometimes even food. for
all its members. There are, therefore,
different kinds of artells. In this way
the Custom-house officers and mer-
chants provide work for the artells, con-
tracting with them for the supply of
members to look after their goods, the
Such unions are also found in barracks
to provide for the soldiers; travellers
who accidentally meet on the road, and
Iwho separate after certain time, form
ian artell and defray their travelling ex-
ipenses and the cost of their food out of
the common treasury.
An arteli is sometimes formed even
for few hours-as, for example, in the
case of servants who have accompanied
their masters to ball. These form an
artelI to look after the property, and
then Distribute the gratuities received.
The workmen engaged in erecting a
building. or in doing any other kind of
work, Join together to form an artell.
lie Play, in his work ''Les Ouvriers
Europeans. says: ''In Russia every per-
son belonging to the working class is
surrounded throughout his life by nu-
mcrous family, with which he lives in
absolute community as guard against
!all misfortunes which might happen if
they were isolated. The workmen who
go abroad and into the large towns to
undertake different kinds of work, and
who are deprived of this protection for
the first time, hasten to repair the loss
by forming voluntary associations,
which are known by the name of ar
tells"
This writer then describes an associa-
ton of this kind. He says: "One work
man, on his arrival in st. Petersburg,
joined about forty parcel carriers, each
of whom had put % certain sum OF
money in the common treasury of the
artcll. Four members were then ap-
pointed to carry out the general busi-
ness; the 'artclitschik. who had to look
out for work, to settle the price for which
1t was to be undertaken, and to divide
the work; the 'cloutschik,' who had
charge of the treasury, betrayed the
common expenses, and divided the
wages; and two 'starchi,' to whom was
intrusted the control of the chief and
the treasurer. At the commencement
of the winter the artell, which consisted
then of sixty-iive members, was agfin
dissolved The work which had be,m
done consisted in the loading and un-
loading of ships, and in looking after
gardens in the town. The meals were
taken together, and the cost betrayed by
the artell treasury. On the unionbeing
dissolved the sum of money remaining
ip the treasury was equally divided, the
amount of work doneby each individual
not being taken into account mt ALL"
The savings Of each member amounted
to about twenty-five dollars in our cur
rency.
The disposition for associations,
deeply rooted in the Sclavonio race.
penetrates the whole Russian working
class. AS soon rs any one commences |
70 learn handicraft. the other work. |