The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-25
THE COOPERATIVE IDEA
STATISTICS ABOUT VARIOUS ENTER
PRIsEs OF THE KIND.
Successful I'm Many Cases, and the
Plan Ia Rapidly Growing In
Popularity.

The recent organization of a cooperative
store among his parishioners by West
chester county clergyman appears to have
excited good deal OF interest In that vicini-
ty. The store was simply a purchasing
club OF neighbors, who, by pooling their
orders were able to obtain more advan-
tsgeous rates.
The idea is in no way a new one, al
though there is some novelty in its adop
ton by the members of a church Its ap-
plication has saved millions of pounds to the
farmers of Ireland during the past ten
years. Under the inspiration OF Sir Horace
Plunkett. president of the irish Agricultur-
al Organization, over 600 such stores have
been organized in that country since 1890.
This sort OF buying has been going on
among American farmers for years. chiefly
under the auspices of the Grange the
Farmers Alliance and similar organiza-
tons. In some cases cooperative stores
have been established. In others the desired
result has been attained by the concentra-
ton Of orders and the consequent inclina-
ton Of big houses to look for the business.
1t is merely a matter OF trade discounts to
members OF farmers organizations who con-
centrate their orders of farm machinery
supplies and household goods IN selected
stores and factories.
But this simple form of cooperation has
IN the South and West, broken the power
OF combinations which were extremely OPP
pressive to the farmers in the way OF ex-
orbitant demands for binding Irvine, barbed
wire, fertilizers, and so on. The Ohio Grange
reports from Is TO 80 per cent saved by
concentrating the trade of the organization.
gether, and the farmers shop less by mail
order and more In person, the system has
been extended into the realm of millinery,
wearing apparel and Jewelry, and the Rhode
Island Grange publishes long list of Provi-
dence and Newport stores which give from
to 20 per cent. discount, including even
restaurants, which thus cater to the trade
of Grange members. In Connecticut, the
State purchasing agent of the Grange even
buys coal at wholesale, and ships 1t to the
various local Oranges. which distribute 1t
has its own storehouse, with a spur track
running to IT,
Waves OF interest In cooperative distri-
button have swept over the United States
from time to time. There was one In New
England from 1917 to 1855. There was an
other started by the Patrons of Husbandry
In 1866. Another rose in the 70s, fostered
by the Sovereigns of Industry. During
each OF these periods of interest numbers
OF cooperative stores were established.
Most of them died sooner or later, but here
and there one survived. until now CO.
operative stores are scattered all over the
country. There are some twenty Of them
in New England, doing an annual business
of 81 ,2So,36l. and during the last ten years
their business has nearly doubled.
LARGEST COOPERATIVE STORE.
The best and largest cooperative store In
this country is the Arlington at Law
renee, Mass. 1t has 1900 members, 500 ZOO
capital and s525,OO0 annual sales. The Ar
lington is exceeded in number by only nine
ty-nine out of the 1850 Enlish cooperative
societies, and in trade by only 149. There
are two other cooperative associations and
stores in Lawrence, and among them they
are said to command the trade of So per
cent. of the city's population.
These cooperative stores have but one
object-to eliminate the profits of the mid
dlemen and secure the advantage of whole
sale prices for the individual purchaser. 1t
seems simple proposition, but il requires
business ability and long experience to make
Ii survive the wear and tear of actual prac-
tice. The imposing success of the British
system of cooperative stores, which do
one-fifth of the retail business OF the Brit
ish Isles, is due to the fact that they have
been pegging away at 1t, with John Bull
pertinacity, for the last sixty years.
The desired end in cooperative stores is
attained either by selling at reduced prices,
as in the case of the Westchester Church
store. or by selling at market prices, and
paying dividends to members in exact pro-
portion to the amount OF their purchases.
However they may differ in details OF
management, all co-operatives stores in
America are based on the Rochdale plan.
That marvellous movement, which, begin
ming In 1914 with twenty-eight poor weav-
ers, has grown until its system of stores
forms the largest business concern in the
world. The twenty-eight weavers started
with a capital of ST. 40 The Roachdale union
has now an accumulated capital Of $140.-
100000. and does an annual retail trade of
things on big scale. They run the largest
shoe factory in the world, equipped
throughout with American machinery,
which they sent their agent here to buy.
and one of their latest operations was TO
purchase enormous tract of land in
India, on which they will raise the tea
for their stores. The significant fact to be
remembered is that In the handling of
this immense volume of business through
out so long a period no private fortunes
have been accumulated. The entire stream
and dividends. has flowed back into the
pockets of the members Of the associa-
tons.
STATISTICS OF SOCIETIES.
Because of the age and unity Of the Eng
lish cooperative movement, and its bulky
annual reports, it is perfectly easy to Sc
cure information concerning it at any time.
But the cooperative enterprises of Ameri-
ca are scattered from the Atlantic to the
Pacific, without any central organiza ton,
and full statistics of them have never been
gathered. n. o. Nelson, the st. Louis cap
italist. who has probably a more compre-
hensive view Of the entire field in America
than any other man, recently furnished the
writer with his estimate of the number of
cooperative societies in America, as fol-
lows:
Socie- Mem
ties. bers. Capital Sales.
Creameries ..... 2S3 1880 $S64 80 So .6255
Stores .........1 1872 59.7l2 1886. 100 1881, $50
Selling associatn.3s 1904 100000 zoos, ass
Factories ....... As S91 5S4,110 1,259,S $50
He was by no means sure that he had
them all, but considered the list approxi-