Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-12-22
THE GoDIN FACTORY.
METHODS OF THE COOPERATIVE
ESTABLISHMENT At LlEGE.

SSp SpSSes0tV"6Nt ~ et60Gs
! Peculiar Scheme OF Industrial Distrfbu-
tiou-Division Between Capital Labor. .
Talent and ''Nature''-How tho stoch
Changes Hands--fscsults.
As with his social palace, 70 in his sclems
of industrial distribution, M. Godin's ideas
were colored by Fourierist rccollections.
Before 1880 M. Godin had merely set apart
certain sum-GS,O 900 or RlO,0O0-out Of the
profits OF tho year to be distributed among
his men as bonus; but In 1880 he converted
tho business into a cominandite company, and
introduced u complicated system Of arrange
ments for realizing effectively Fouriers prin-
ciple Of just division Of the produce Of In
dustry, the division between capital, labor
and talent, according to the Importance Of
their several contributions. 1t is true he
thought this principle theoretically defective,
because talent was only particular kind df
labor, anh because nature, which Fourier
wholly ignored, was in Godin's opinion, ~
important a contributor to production rs any
Of the other three Natures share In the d.
vision ought, he thought to be appropriated
by the state, partly by means Of the nation
alization of land for the purpose Of letting II
out to all sorts OF productive societies, and
partly by means Of a heavy graduated sue
cession duty; and the funds thus obtained
ought to be employed In establishing a sys
tenn Of universal insurance against sickness,
accidents, age and vicissitudes generally.
But in the meantime, SO long rs the laws Of
private Inheritance and private property in
land remained unmodihed, and the state
showed no disposition to serve herself heir to
natures share, individual producers must
each set aside that share for themselves, and
consequently the first part in NJ. Godin's an
nuai division is 25 per cent Of the whole net
profits to reserve fund for purposes Of per-
sonal insurance. In passing l may say that
besides this every workman Is obliged to pay
| to that fund per cent. on his wages, that In
1888 tho fund amounted to 100000 francs,
| and in tho three years 1t had existed at that
time more than 1900 francs had been paid
out Of it for sick relief and pensions ON
comfortable scale.
Next to natures deal comes tho deal OF
talent or intelligence, and that also Is fixed
at 25 per cent The director alone (M Godin
during his lfetime) got and gets II per cent.
Of tho profits, in addition to his salary OF
1900 francs In 1883 this l2 per cent
am~vnted to more than four times his salary.
Half the profits going thus in equal shares to
nature and intelligence, the other half re-
manning to be divided between tho factors,
capital and labor. Capital had already ro
ccived per cent. interest, and labor had OF
course already received its weekly wages, all
before there was any calculation OF profit al
all, and NJ Godin concluded that the proper
principle now was to give capital a share OF
the naming half of the profits In proper
ton TO the amount Of interest it received,
and labor in proportion to the wages 1t had
received. In 1883 the total amount Of interest
paid was $50, 900 francs on 4,600, 600 frnncs OF
capital, and the total wages paid was ,SSS, 600
, francs, SO that Of this remaining half. OF the
! profits some nine-tenths 60 to the deal OF
labor.
J. NJ. Godin's scheme, however, by no means
= ends hero; his object was to make the em.
b. ployes In the final result owner OF the
. capital of the business, and with this view ht
u decided that the laborer's share Of the profits
= should not be paid Immediately into theil
hands, to be used at their discretion, but
e should be applied to buy for them shares II
Al the business. In this way the business i
II gradually falling into the hands Of the labor
D ers engaged in it, In 1888 they already pos
. sessed stock amounting TO nearly two million
$ Of francs, and though the capital has becl
J, raised to G,000, ,000 francs, it will only take
d few more years for it to be acquired entirel
Dy eIlpioyco. uc AutSi Csc oh eAC 'As<AA =
&C, they possess they receive like their wages, t
AZ spend as they will.
IS, NJ aodin states, in his book on govern
~ mcnt that the average amount Of indiret
taxation on articles Of consumption paid pt
III head in the familistere of Guise is sevent,
ii' Ave francs, and turning to books OF statistic
y we find that the average for Franco general
il is only thirty francs. The people OF Il
* familstere live, therefore, two and ha
oc times better than the rest Of the Frenc
.nt Their working day is ten hours, and thu
tiy have besides common holidays, two speci
INC fete days of their own every year-the Fea
OF of Labor on the first Sunday in May and t
ply Feast OF Infancy Oh the first Sunday
al September.
OF The director, who at the head of the who
vi place, is an autocrat In all business affail
o" lie Is elected-that is, since leS0-but he
me elected for life, and his management is
la' controlled. lie chooses the foremen and max
LIZ the bargains Next below him stand y
er. group that elect him, the associes, numberl
'nd sixty-eight in lsS3 who must have worked
the least five years in the foundry, be men
good education and stainless life and posse
-as not less than 500 francs of capital in t
lot business Their privileges are large, IA
cl- their requirements. They elect themselv
INT by co-optation, share In the profits on twi
an their wages, can only be expelled from q
association by vote Of two-thirds OF the
ess own peers (the other associes), have the I'll
as right to work when work is short and reti
= OH a pension of two-thirds OF their waees
tai salaries After them come nincty-hve
ses cietaires, chosen by the manager and admi
The istrative council, sharing the profits on O
IN and one-half times their wages, and getting
the pension on one-third of them; 573 parti'
are pants, similarly chosen, and sharing Oh the
simple wages only; 25S auxilinres, who
In yet get no share in the profits, except throul
len their interest in the insurance fund, and
as interesses, who are allowed to retain sto
'he they have inherited, though they have
Gu further interest In the concern.
tic. The stock, which is only being gradual
ou' taken up year by year, must, when 1t Is
see taken up, be again parted with in the sal
A way, the first shareholders being then obhg
old to sell out their shares to the new come
pal During the interval tho shares may apps
ids; emily be held by widows or other persons
rst- in active employment, but at the end OF
ant term they must always return to the poss
one sion of actual laborors, and SO the way
Q smoothed for the retirement of the older g
Ito Grafton and the accession OF the younger
ices Good Words.
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,p,n New Fire Detector.
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