New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-09-07

AS THEIR OWN CAPITALISTS.
IRON Az OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT THE TRTBrNAJ
London, August is.
have just returned from the exhibition held
at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham, ny the Labor
Association for Promoting Cooperative Produc-
ton, in connection with the National Cooperative
Festival The matter is of deep interest to Ameri"
can workingmcn, for il this material world is 70
he saved it seems rs though il must he ny CO.
operation, and in no other way
The manufactures Of productive societies, man'
aged entirely by tho workers. who are their own
employers, were exhibited. Each society had
upon its stall picard on which stated the
manner in which the profits were divided and how
much had already been paid to the workers.
Among these manufactures and products | noticed
the following Wooen cloth, silk hosiery,
watches. jewelry. boots, cntlery, hardware wash
ng ard wringng machines boOkbnding, wall and
panel decoration, trunks. printing, needles,
cigarettes. etc The articles exhibited were Of
tine best of their kind.
England in point Of time behind France
and Germany in taking a strong hol'Aof coopcra~
ton but now size is making it not only successful,
but of such importance that ii has become an ln-
trgral part of her economic Organization The
cooperative societies of Great Britain have q
capital of $4,000. 900 Their sales in 1880
amounted to nearly 81 900 and their profits
10 81 7,jOO0o0 These figures. however, chiefly
represent what may be called profits to con"
sumers." The great test Of the ultimate value OF
co-opcration namely. profits 10 producers, remains
to be shown; and this exhibition, with it's dis
play Of good work and its array of figures, does
actually show il.
Eig,,tccn productive societies subscribers to
Tie funds of the Labor Association, and including
lasc, twenty eight societies took part in the e>-
companies thirty-scvcn in England and Wales,
five in Scot land, now recognize the right OF the
artisan or Ebprrr TO share IT the profits and tire
mana cement, while thirty three companies allow
him an interest directly Indirectly in the profits
alone. These latter include such great establish
mcnfs lo,' of tas,cis, the publishers: Tangyess
the great Birmingham engineers: Watcrowss
probably tie LARGEST statIonrrs in the world; the
South Metropolitan t;as Works: Pei"s. the ron"
tractors, aud Wills, tho iamou, tobacconi,'s.
OF these the frs, 10 take Up corporation was
.ctch"r n son. printers and publishers, OF Nor
wich in $50. Int b. far tine most important Il
Waterfowl x Sons. Limited, who organized their
provi.ni fund seven years ago with 500 names
~. their pay-rolls. In all. tic employees OF these
tlirty-thrcc firms number nearly il."""
OF tho striily comparative socir'ics, that Is, OF
rosc ila, admit the wacr-"arncr Ia a voice in the
suits. seven are makers of boots and shoes,
twelve work in icAiilc fabrics four carry On
farming operations, and ~ are m"'1l workers.
The oldest is tho Ec"lrs Industrial MANUFACTURING
Sncic,y Limited, If the town "i E'"les. IN
Lancashire makers of quilts. formed IN 1851.
The largest mrm'.ra!i, il toi of the A-r"nl'hral
and Horticultural .\s>"ciaii"n Limited, OF Drpt-
ford dealers in absolutely genuine seeds ana pure
farm supplies. with :.i'2 names on tL'ii roll:
bnt The mos, noteworthy is the li"h'rn Brl0%e
S,cctv maker, of fn,tians yeivriccus, cords, and
moles Ihi, society WAS organized al lahien
Bridge near Halifax in Yorkshire. in so. al rss
| by weekly subscriptions o siN cents apiece among
a few cutters Of tiisian, associated for work on
| Joint account in their hours Of overtime. -Four
years later they were not only making but dyeing
the cloth in a 50 0uG feet ,ry of their own and
now the "do members have a capital OF - 5000,
employ .4o hands do a business Of nearly
500 900 a year, of which nearly 10 per cont Is
nrt protir From this dividends ot ab0lt II
per cent were paid t. the members of the society
and 10 the wagc-earncrs a like increase in thclr
wa.rS.
The methods Of sharing profits are various.
Thus for example. the newly organized Scotch
Tweed Society. makers of the Ro>c@ry Tweed,
allows 30 per cent Ia capital, Il" 10 thr workers
and 20 TO tho customers William Thomson ~
an old and well known hrm made over INTO an
Industrial partnership. Eishtf-siA Of the work.
men are Shareholders and are crihlc 10 sit Oh tie
committee of Management Tie Incs a> 10 The
division of profit, provte inst charge for tho
paymcnt Of :, per cert Interest on capital. and. IN
cacc the state at bGsliirss docs moi lrfhit ms
amount 10 he paid. the drholt II 10 re Il hist
crar.c on sd'.sr ilcnt profits Not less ttih /"
M, cent IF tie profit, il to he carried I" ie>'t
fnnd until this amounts 10 Ia per cent oi tiic
c,pital; and If the remainder h'r-ninthS IN tie
form. of shares - 10 the WORKERS In pr"Por,pn
+, wl.cs earned: AMI f"u:-hitiis may c "Pplu'"ss
the c,mmittcr max authorize. III re"ardhe slc.tA.
services nnd in allowance, 10 customers arr VIC
fashion of the time. III tine ease "' 'in, "",>ei-
hampton och max, r. capital Is I" u" ai'"M'" ~.
,,,,.i at In" rate Of per cent per 1hh''" "',t
motifs are To he divi'i, IN the piopor',"u W , ~
per 10 workers: '"rii ana en, S,,c,o ,,,
m.r cent reserve fund. |" Per cent SP''!' ST.
>,,r, ; pcr cent: capital aldln |" per c''' cnS
,on so per cent. Here capital Gus ~, . ' ~
hrnr. any other d\drId Is hi.'". Az" mia,
, 50, nud time tor further prom "l h"' rN'c'uic
:. Yr~ cent after other producing interests nave
been - >lici. - ,,ro,;,p li,s
The ,..rr, of the success "f ro"mr,inm .,., H,
NAT l,A,.,..r in the ,arrcs> al a lew s"''W'
~ IN T., rules and methods that 2"Ne'h l''Ni::
II lies in the acquiring at S"'ih.i hhoM ''-' liz r..
r.,unrti, laws by WORKERS. ara III WIZ ~
strrin,. which SHALL slbdur al IDEAS ana "i"'r'
cuc,s under a." p1\, rHan'" % mos Law ,..
IN "rra,rr service could ir d"nr Ia any STA"
,r nation than III" est hsln"rnl 81 nis'r
,~h",. in rouncci ION with Industrial sch"ol"-oh
,Lr ,rnu"ur principles that Ei'l>i -o\cfh c'-oP'us-
lion In cooperation | see m"rr "n,,, h I,r,,"
,,.,,r >ulution ot th" great Crisis III me s'fiiS
", ,ui,,I aims, labor. OF .atur AGAINST capital.
T., :, ,,r. mo- more than that il woUll not h' the
~ , s.iuti,n ,he world awaits. hut n mere
,cmnonrv panarra like many before it. Bat
,n',,,rraiion, cuuld il hr truly taught ana c,r-
ri,I our would hr a training 81 '", ""t ,.a; III
,,,I,,,,s .,.,iusi reed il would be traln-
;nr AGAINST the maierialism into when tie nAns
tcrnth rcntary has driit'd us
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