New-York tribune., 1902-01-12
BRITISH COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES
THEY ARE MANAGED ON PURELY DEMO
CRATIC LINES.
From The London News.

From The London News.
the ordinary Workmans sore or e So
ciety, that it retas goods to its members. who
on their purchases and fixed payment usually
bs on se pen owed M 70 acc9mHate
in which case the society serves as bank as well
bers. but when a man wants his money he can
hIS S as re b s"0pe ope nn
known in the movement" Mutuality is the eS-
OF a6 ana ss Sas and
no place in It's economy II Is not so generally
70 all who choose to join t.. The membership Of
had reached the total of 6s si2 or Al per cent of
the whole population oC the United Kingdom, If
nd boseIneT WIN .he pT1pSS ot b br ig az
influence Of the cooperative store. we should get
at the true ratio OF cooperators 10 non-co-opera-
to the real dimensions OF cooperation
Besides being open to all comers the societies. as
members. and any one who wins the confidence OF
aging committee Unlike the British Constitution
the Cooperative Society goes in for one man, one
to his credit I'm most soceties' saws Mr.. Dent
the services Of the committee are unpaid; but
in some OF the larger societies a small fee (sxpence
for out Of Pocket The once Of seere
Seldom Se cary9g m 96 cSsf b OF the large is
enable the holder of it to devote his whole time
secretaries engaged in 6tbe 0Stion & II G0te & 10y
day who regard the work wbcb ibeY 5o r b ,T
society occupation their leisure hours in the
evening and are very frequently willing perform
ths @ work without remuneration" These circum-
stances are not propitious for the guinea pig the
coI4heratve I variety of which seems TO be unknown.
of ut d+ coLoberauon ,o-day is by no means affair
path pa The report brings out the remarkable
%nGer the ns a @ for the part
i've Union-have taken common action for consoli-
dating their interests. They have Invested their
funds in flour mills and various other Industries or
canned gar S on federal type their union looks after
a Jaw courts helps to shape opinion in a hundred
there is cooperative newspaper society. an insur.
agce an society and building society 10 say nothing
mGns aGnr3 dwellings but the crownng achievement il
cooperatlve wholesale societies. the fS Engsbs WS sgG@ D
the Scottish, which act as agents. buyers bankers
i Kingdom M on The English federation does trade Of
over f5OooOOO. These gigantic concerns are managed
an enreS & by the % same ne class Of men as those who d
meet & once quarter % for business and The directors
Societies The of Of he y En 8ee
lish society, are at Manchester, and there are
in various parts of the country The extent and
variety OF their enterprises will amaze the reader
tributive societies amounted TO s44ss5lsO, upon
interest on shares there remained u profit 13t of Of
a7o2l.5S4 Mr Dent estimates that no less than S
were produced by or 9 purchased through cooperative
so sna mo his extent @ the societies are able
trial conditions under which these goods have been
co-operators Of the present day to insist upon the
goods they distribute heing manufactured under
falr condiuons-that is when such goods are bought
in the open market. This be done more easiIv
in the workshops directly owned and managed by
co-operators; and another quarter In which a high
standard Is maintained is 10 be found in the stores
themselves. An inquiry conducted by THE Labor
Gazette" in 1897 shows that the average usakIv
working hours Of N.7l2 distributive employees were
53.6. Mr.. Dent does not mention the nving-in svs-
tem but we believe that it is unknown to CO.
operative societies. W "
The report gives some deeply interesting particu-
lars of the various agencies engaged in co-opera-
tive production. The output in 1899 from All sources
including the wholesale societies the dour n,iIIS
the workshops attached TO the stores and the pro.
ductlVe socleties on a more less indenendent
footing, was valued at close upon ell 900 600 The
later group or societies are to extent directed
by the workmen employed though ONLY a snail
proportion Of the capital is supplied by them and
the 1872 organizations in this category turned out
goods to the value of million and one-haif during
tha same period. A uuiins