Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-11
THEIR OWN STORES.
SoYereigns of Industry Considering
the Cooperative System.
MAY ADOPT THE ENGLISH PLAN
An Official Points Out the Advantages of
the Enterprise.
1T WOULD BE A CORPORATE CONCERN

The Grand Council OF the Sovereigns of
Industry has committee at work preparing
a plan for the establishment of co-opera-
tive store, to take the place of the contract
system, by which the membership Of the or
ganization is now supplied with the neces-
saries of life. 1t has been the aim of the
present Grand Council officers to see CO.
operative store established, but not until the
last quarterly meeting did the scheme as
sumo anything like tangible shape.
For two years the councils in the various
sections of the county have been talking
about starting stores on their own response
bility, and doing away with contracts with
merchants. Last winter one of the South
side councils became interested in the mat
ter, and began to make arrangements to
start store on that side of the river. This
plan did not meet with the approval of the
grand officers, and the proposition now un-
der consideration is to establish store un-
der the jurisdiction of the Grand Council.
The plan in detail, as given by the Grand
President to a DISPATCH reporter, is to
form corporation under the laws of the
State. the stock to be subscribed for by the
councils and individual members of the
order. No one but Sovereigns will be per-
mitted to own stock.
The Grand Council will formulate all the
laws for the control of the concern. One
large department store will be established
in Pittsburg for the accommodation of the
members in Pittsburg, Allegheny and the
SouIhside. When the membership in the
surrounding towns, such as Sharpsburg,
East End, Braddock, McKeesport, Cannons-
burg, Washington, Rochester and Beaver
Falls, Is sufficient to support them, branch
stores will be established at those places.
WHERE THEY ARE SUCCESSFUL.
1t is tbs intention to pattern after the
English cooperative system, as far as they
can be made applicable. Cooperative
stores have become eminently successful in
England. One system was founded there a
few years ago by three gentlemen, who car
ried on their business for long time in a
basement. Now their enterprise is worth
millions of dollars. They control factories
and workshops where all the clothing worn
by the people interested in the concern is
made. They have established schools in
which they educate their own children.
Every necessity is furnished through this
concern, which is carried on on an exceed
ingly large scale.
The committee having charge of the local
arrangements does not expect to be so sue
cessful from the start but it is confident the
enterprise can be made of great value to the
members. Under the present system the
trade of the order is said to be worth over
S100, 900 per annum to one firm in Pittsburg
alone, and that more than $500, 900 is spent
by the members with the firms which have
contracts with the organization. It is
claimed that fully one-quarter of this
amount could be saved to the individual
members by the cooperative plan, and the
remainder, being held and controlled by
beard of able fnanciers, would help to rap
idly swell the treasury of the corporation,
from which, at the end of each year, would
be paid to the stockholders pro rata
dividend; and in addition, per cent on all
money expended in the concern during the
year.
SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES.
Thus the enterprise would have three-fold
advantage to the members. They would
first save the retailers profit on all goods
bought in the cooperative stores. They
would be paid an annual dividend on their
stock, and, as an inducement to purchase
only at the cooperative store, they would
receive the extra per cent on the amounts
of their purchases for the year.
1t is not vet determined what amount of