New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-03
TO REDUCE COST OF LIVING
Co.operative Stores Plan Out
lined to Advertising Men.
ORGANIZERS GIVE DETAILS
G.. N. Vessels Tells How Such
Stores Save Money to English
Consumers-Hits Retailers.


The rlan for a cooperative association
Of consumers by means Of which they will
be able to save at least per cent OF the
money they now annually expend for the
recessaries or life was outlined in oe-
tail lost night az dinner in the Rltz-Carl-
ton Hotel. Frank Presby was the host, and
his guests were the advertising managers
Of the New York newspapers, who came TO
meet r. Onffroy. the originator Of the plan,
and the men who have assumed the Ia SIX
Of bringing II 10 a realization.
The organization is 70 he known as the
United Stores Association. and its principal
feature is that II presents q means 70 re-
duce the cost ~ living by a cooperation
Of consumers who agree 10 buy from re-
tailers whose business methods have been
investigated by the association. and found
70 he reliable. The saving made possible
&c the retailers through the elimination OF
middlemcn. and through the ability Of the
association ~ purchase in large quantities.
rs well as the increase I'm their retail trade
that is 10 he brought about through per-
sonal canvassing Of consumers IL expected
TO enable the retailers 10 allow the organi-
cation a discount on all their cash sales to
association consumers Of about per cent
From this money s per cent will return 10
the pockets Of the consumers who have
bought their necessaries at prevailing prices
n standard stores. while the rest is 70 he
equally divided for running expenses and
for oo-opera tive Advertising
Among the men who have been thus far
secured 10 carry out the big plan are G. NJ
Vessels. president. r. Onffroy vioe-presi.
dent c. u. Roehr. second vice-president:
Patrick Egan. third vice-president E F.
Olmsted. secretary; ". 5. Pope treasurer.
and as directors S. Paul He genbacher. Ed
ward W. Kenyon and j. s Foster
The first speaker al the dinner was Mr..
vessels, who gave a detailed explanation
of the plan. He said that sixty-four years
ago five ignorant weavers came together in
England and decided to buy thor neces-
saries IN larger quantities. in order to get
the benefit Of full weight and reduction
OF prices. From this developed the English
cooperative stores Of to-day, with business
last year amounting TO ssnoOoocoo. from
which amount the people received a return
Of ss4 10000
The reason for the high cost of living
Is that there are too many retail stores"
said Mr.. Vessels, land, after twenty-six
years OF study Of the English system. Mr.
Onffroy found that IL could he adopted in
this country
NOW, take the grocery business, though
we propose to include in our organization
all the varieties of retailing. We have a
composite report from five reliable agencies
on the groceries of this city. ont of IA oU
grocers only about 3,nn are rated as re-.
sponsible: the others exist only hv not deal
ing squarely with the public The idea is
TO eliminate the bad men I'm each branch Of
the business, the men who are running
their places on a 80 10 20 per cent basis OF
expense, and have to sell had stuff for
prices AZ which others sell good stuff TO
meet these expenditures
The only method to eliminate such stores
to-day is the one adopted by chain stores.
but this method is wrong. because II drives
out the good man whose place the chain
stores desire and let's the parasite alone
We want al least 1000 merchants throueh-
out the city. and we are going 10 concern
trate our efforts to secure retailers In th.
various lines who are most reputable We
hope 10 put them where they will he able
TO compete with the chain stores"
Inc advantages TO be derived by the re-
taller Joining the organization were ont
lined by Mr. Vessels as consisting in the
purchasing for them al A saving Of from
? to IL per cent net The advertising con-
Quoted by the organization would create a
demand for the goods handled and the
addresses Of the stores made familiar 70
the public would meet the demand I'm all
parts Of the city a special delivery svs
tenn would serve to save about % per cent
OF the present cost.
The consumer, for whose benefit the plan
has been devised, Mr.. Vessels said. would
save per cent OF the money expended
in the association stores. he would receive
an accident policy for $500 and the euaran-
tee OF an accident premium % s. a week for
six weeks. And for all this there would he
only an annual charge Of 81 that could be
deducted in monthly instruments of q
cents from the percentage accruing
we are convinced that We can get
100000 families to start with" said Mr..
Vessels. and We want 10 devote our en-
ergies to the families that have $500 or
less year. because they need us
We expect a business the first year II
s12o oo0, 900, and Of that $4,000. 900 will go
Rack 10 the people. As TO the independent
retailers. their only safety lies in organl-
zation. and by taking the retailers who
are now engaged In running stores where
people are cheated and putting them as
clerks into a field where they are needed,
We Will not really hurt them. because to-
day they are stealing their living"
Mr.. Onfroy described the English sys-
tom. and said that the possibilities in
America were greater. because the wage
earners made more and wanted more COM
fort and they needed a reduction in the
high cost Of living that had been caused
mostly through waste I'm the distribution
Of the necessaries OF life.
rs II not better that the $4,000. 600 in
the first year should 20 "a the poor peo-
plr who need Il than to have that money
GO 10 the parasites who cheat the peo-
pie" he asked