Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-07-28
COOPERATION IS
PAWNEE'S PROFIT
Nebraska Towns Merchants
Pool Deliveries Of Goods.
NO BOTHER AND NO JEALOUSY

Success of Plan Furthers Community,
of Interest Idea and Erection ofi
Opera House and cooperative Prod
uee Exchange Are Cited as Evidence
of Benefits of Unity.
A novel example in community CO.
operation is shown in the town Of
Pawnee City. county seat of Pawnee
county, Neb., one of the richest agrt-
cultural sections In the west. One Of
the causes assigned for the increase In
prices of the necessaries of life has
been the abuse of the delivery system
from stores. This has grown to the
point where it is not unusual for pa
goods man for a single article Of small
cost, with the request that it be sent
up.
The Pawnee City merchants think
they have solved this problem. The
Commercial club is the organization
through which this novel experiment
was launched. The club has 100 men,
bers, who pay So a year apiece.
Through the bringing closer together
Of the business men of the city in the
boosting of several enterprises there
was established a confidence and q
mutually that made the delivery
scheme easy of accomplishment.
Merchants Pool Deliveries.
In Pawnee City no merchant makea,
his own deliveries. Instead the asso-
citation has contract with local
teaming company, which is paid $40 q
week to do all of the hauling needed,
Notwithstanding the fact that all mer-l
chants do not pay the same proportiont
of the cost, it has proved a thorough
success.
What is regarded as the amazing
part of 1T is the elimination of business
jealousies. Fifteen business firms pat
ronize the cooperative delivery. The
only exceptions are the feed stores. the
| laundry and the furniture store, the
business necessities of which require
! Independent action. For the othersi
! this scale of prices was made and
agreed upon:
TWO hardware stores, each $50 per
week -s.- .. --. ....- . s,- ,.....i
Two clothing stores. each 81 a week.
| Three general stores, each s. a week.
| One exclusive grocer, $ a week.
! Three drug stores, each 81 a week.
! Two meat markets, each $3.50 a week.
One dry goods store. 81 a week.
| This schedule was agreed upon after
a committee had made thorough In
vestigation of conditions. The general
stores were taxed higher than most
| others because they maintain various
| departments, -.-.-..-r Is.
Towns and Suburbs Covered.
| Two wagons are employed in max
| ing the deliveries Each covers half of
the town. These start at one end of
! the business street one week and from
the other end the next week. They
collect all of the goods to be delivered,
stopping at the larger stores each time
and at the others only upon a red flag
signal. Four trips are made each day
at stated hours, while one trip is made
outside the city limits, where a num-
ber of families reside.
This enables the grocer, for instance,
to secure all his deliveries for $50 a
month, whereas before it cost him $50
or $40. The saving of $500 a year he
| computes to be substantial profit, be-
: ing per cent on SS,333.
This cooperation has led to a still
further community of interest. The
merchants meet once n month to dis
cuss credits and exchange information
about customers. II led also to an
agreement for early closing in the even
ing, G;3O for all stores save the gro-
ceries, which keep open an hour longer
Nobody keeps open on particular oc-
casion unless he consuts with the 9TH
| ers.
When it was proposed to build an
| opera house 1t was easy to secure
enough money pl"'@ed for the purpose.
1t is now proposed to build n coop
erative produce rXchange, and other
schemes for bringing money into town
and keeping 1t there are being incul-
Gated.