Omaha daily bee., 1890-07-27

In England The outbreak oi asso-
ciated production in France dates back
INTO the thick of therevOlution Of ISIS,
and the historyOf the movement isin
the highest degree Interesting. For
many years II played IA most important
partin French industrial affairs, but
while cooperative production Is still
carried on the writer in the JoWnalof
Economics regards the prospect for itas
far rom hopeful. He remarks that n
large part Of the socalled cooperation
does not coOpeate and the part that
doeSfs apt total. Among thereasOnsi for
thisare the ignomn the associates in
sufficient capital and lack of confidence
in managers-causes of failure of under
takings of this kind not confined to
France. The writer whom we quote says
that unfortunately the experience of CO.
operation in OF her countri es is ample
proof that, while tho particular results
in France are modified by peculiar con-
d1tOns, the general history Of the insti-
tuition is much the same In whatevcr
phase the cooperative problem presents
Itself, the same difficulties re-
cur In England, as in the
United States and in France,
the tendency of associated produc-
tion to graylta te toward u joint stock
firm OF small capitalists, or to swing
still further towards extreme centraliza-
tion, manifeSts itselfwith the constancy
of anatural law He admits, however,
that splendid results have been obtained
from the English movement He says
there isevery ywhereim posing testimony,
in stone and mortar, to the wealth and
solidity of workingman association,
seen In the great cooperative whole
sale and retail establish rents
of England and Scotland, and
also testimony to financial power
and business capacity represented
by the millions of business transacted in
the name oftheSe same men. Yet he
says the participation is failure.
Twenty years OF Xperience show that u
simple cash dividend paid in addition to
current wages is no guarantee against
labor difficulties with trades unions, and
produces no apprecable atac hment of
WIN ihVh W Jllc w cltbTc VI VIC DuSlneSS
and no appreciable influence upon the
efficiency Of labor.
A solution of the industrial prob
lem which is steadily pushing
to the front is that OF par
ticpation with the possibilities
of deferred cooperation. Regarded
strictly from the point Of view Of coop
erotive production, says this writer,
there is nothing to compare in magnifi-
cence with the results which it has thus
far obtained. AS the conclusion Of
thorough review ofwhat has ta ken place
under the several forms of cooperative
production, the writer in the JOur7eM of
Economics says he has no hesitation in
welcoming proit-sharing as the next
phase Of industry, readjusted to meet
the conditions of the century's pro-
gress. Tn theory, it represents
the condition Of stable equilibrium be-
tween the two extremes already men,
toned, Itreinstates labor wi ithout en-
feebling the all-important functions of
the manager. Associated cooperation
is posi- bility, butit is pathetically in
adeq uate to the task of social and indus
trial readjuStment, Profit sharing, on
the contrary, brings all the necessary
elements of success to the solution OF |
these difficulties 1t com bines the nd.
vantages of cooperative production
without the risks.