The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1893-02-02


VOL XXI. u.
concerned should have the power
Of experimenting the conduct of
the workmen, choosing between ap-
pli.;ants and dismissing the idle or
incompetent, reoompensing them,
of course, for what they have al
ready earned and saved" 70 give
this encouragement to the cooper
alton of capital and labor, it would
be necessary for the State to '''sim-:
ply change the statutes respecting
corporations, SO as to provide for
the division of the shares of cor
poratiohs formed for profit into
small parcels within the reach Of
workmen and fill up few details"
The plan recommended by Mr..
Field is not an untried one. The
British Royal Labor Commission
received q report recently which
stated that the English co-epera:-
tive societies had made during tho
last thirty years a total profit of
$200,000,000 on a trade of nearly
So. 100000. The Scottish CO.
operative societies report 333 soci-
cites in 1890 with III, ,OS8 members,
with capital of $ll. 100000 the
sales coming to 100000, and the
profits realized to $4,l50,000.
DR.: Edward Everett Hale, in
magazine article, shows that the
chief labor and difficulty of co-op-
Grafton lie in arranging the details
of the system. He tells of curl
GUS and admirable system of divi-
sion of profits: among the New
England fishermen, making a per-
feet example of cooperative in
dustry, and gives it as his opinion
that our advances in this direction
are to be made in much the same
way. THAT is, q body of workmen
will themselves combine; they will
not attempt the folly of managing
their affairs by a caucus, but will
select some one of their own num-
Der, probably, in whom they have
confidence. They will say to him,
we will secure to you so much an
nual salary, and you shall have
such share, or "lay'''. as. the Man.
tucket men call it, of the profit Of
our undertaking."
DR.. Hale continues: "Is it diff
! cult to suppose that twenty work
ingmen and twenty working women
who know, for instance, the details
of the manufacture of flannels,
should associate axthenselyas in a
corporation to make fiannels? p?
They should draw out Of the say.
ings banks what would be on an
average 5000 apiece; here is $4,000
for working capital. They choose
from their number some one whom
they know to be honest, and who
has the divine instinct for trade,
which is as much an instinct as is
the instinct for music or for manu-
facture. They say to him, 1--WE
trust you, and for two years, or fol
three years, you shall manage this
affair." He goes to the owner of 6
flannel mill-probably the mill ir
which all of them have been a.
work for years. He says to thu
owner: Rent US this mill at fiv,
per cent. on what it has cost, we tx
pay the taxes and the ordinary re
pairs; we will talk to you abou
new machinery by and by. Here il
the state of our accounts: we hay,
$4,000 in the bank, and as soon a
we fail to pay you your five per ct
you may turn US all out. You shall
be sure as far as we can make yo,
sure IF he agrees to this propo
sal-and, as I say, I myself hav'
known three men who owned mill
who were willing to agree to thi
} proposal, who, in fact, made thi
proposal to me-there is the be
ginning of one of Mr.. Weeden'
; cooperative industrial companies.
MARD1 GRAs CARNIvALs.
-AT-
MOBILE, ALA, AND NEW ORLEANS
For the Mardi Gras Carnivals at Nj
bile, Ala. and New Orleans, La, o
February ii, 1893, the Burlington, Ce
dar Rapids and Northern Railws
> will sell round trip excursion ticke,
, to the above points at special 10,
rates. Tickets on sale Feb. 6 to II il
, elusive, limited; good to return unit
and including March 7. 1893. Fo