Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-14

membership today Is at least 10000. The
trade OF the New England societies averaged
$l1463 per member In 1895; that OF the
others S2l9.2l per member, Including the Nor
mons Zion Cooperative Mercantile lnstitu-
ton Of salt Lake city, which is not techni-
cally cooperative In any fun sense, seventeen
hundred and eleven British cooperative soci-
ctles. with lili,ljS members. averaged
SlSO71 per member on total OF $3.50 $780,
2Gl1S Lawrence Mass, has a larger pro
portion OF members OF cooperative societies
than any other American city, It's three
societies have 375l members, embracing
about 10000 persons, this being &c per cent
OF the city's population
our home advocates OF the plan might
have taken one lesson taught by NJ. Godin
TO heart with advantage to themselves.
Trust has Killed more cooperative stores
In this country than any other cause, The
thing is entirely contrary to the principles
of the movement, but OF thirty-eight Ameri-
credit. The further west one goes the
worse the trusting habit and the poorer the
chance Of cooperation. The reason OF New
Englands success is largely her insistence
on cash. At what risk this program is
changed is shown by the experience OF the
second oldest cooperative society In the
country, the Sovereign Cooperative Associ-
alton Of Webster. Mass. For many years
chief among It's bylaws was the rule:
Never depart from the principle of buying
and selling for ready money" But just be-
fore It's failure last year the manager. reply
ing to the question to what extent the as
sociation trusted wrote; 'No limit, If a
man Is good for it
Another cause Of failure is indicated by
an active worker who points out how much
easier it is for the American people to "co-
talk" than to "Co-worls." This simply means
that they ere without the spirit Of co-opera-
tion. a moral enthusiasm joined to the re-
suits of a careful study by all the mem
pf priuYIrlTg
movement. Cooperation, says Dr. Bemis.
is in spirit a sense of brotherhood, and 10 a
society devoid Of this spirit financial sue
cess through the accident OF a good mana
ger is likely to prove destructive in the
end by giving birth to a greedy desirc
for gain rather than to those higher and
Clcyating feelings that ought to be the
result of true and earnest cooperation. Per-
hnps a more frequent cause OF failure yet
has been the lack of 4 good manager and
OF business capacity among the members.
This, VIGOROUSLY, has afflicted trades union
corporation, which has had no permanent
success though sometimes proving a stop
gap during strikes. In the United Garment
Workers union, disputes over the selection
Of officials and attempts to pay higher
wages and exact less work than In rival
shops have wrecked many cooperative Cf.
forts. The head of the Bakers union testl.
ics to failures In four cities due to lack
of education and business qualifications, and
more especially the latter"
The labor exchange is the latest develop.
ment OF the cooperative movement. 1t
belongs to the west. G.. II. De Bernard
started it in Independence, Mo- seven years
ago, and ii has cropped out in spots else
where Within a week a circular inviting
where within a week a circular invited
the residents Of a Long Island suburban
town to join in starting such an exchange
| 4 member upon paying a small entrance
| fee is invited to deposit with the exchange
any product Of labor and receive for it an
exchange check oqualing its wholesale price
! in money. He may buy for it anything
! he finds In the exchange which he wants OF
get outside merchants to cash the check II
! he can. IL Is never redeemable in money
! His ware is marked up to retail price ant
sold in the exchange. The central idea
of the exchange is the conviction that true
| cooperation is possible only between seyera
! branches of industry, never within one, as
most of the farmers movements have as
! sumei. The Topeka. Kan, labor eXchang,
| did a business Of $4,000 las. year.
| Attempts have lately been made to unite
| all the cooperative efforts in the country
in one movement on the Rochdale plan. ant
| have aroused some enthusiasm. II Is TO,
carly yet to say what they will lead TO.