Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1912-02-14
TO PUT LIVING COST DOWN.
A New York Audience Heard Of
Methods Used in England.

Methods Used In England.
How ne-fourth OF the population OF
Great Britain has solved the problem OF
the high cost of living by workingman's
trust to reduce prices was told recently in
New York, by William Maxwell, presi-
dent OF the International Cooperative Al
lance.
MIR. MAXWELL who draws exactly 81 $50
year as head OF an enterprise which sells
annually more than $685., 0O0, 600 worth OF
goods to its members, spoke under the
auspices of the Cooperative League OF
New York city which is planning to
launch a similar venture in the United
States. He gave encouragement to the
American scheme by telling how the
great cooperative union OF workers, of
which he is the head, started on $26, to
which many OF the original members con-
tributed only an English penny.
After tracing the growth OF the British
cooperative union, through the stages
during which its individual members
demonstrated their loyalty by resisting
the bargain appeals OF great stores to
spend ali their money with their co-opera-
tive venture, Mr.. Maxwell said that last
year the alliance had divided profits of
gil, 100000 among its membership, after
distributing $2S6, IT'S in charity and like
amount on education. Last year the
alliance had s2,l95 employees, each of
whom was rewarded with a bonus above
his or her salary. Some 2,765 individual
societies in various communities are MEM
bers OF the alliance, having an aggregate
mem bership OF 2,701, 900 families.
This great workingmen's trust, Mr..
Maxwell said, has five -four mills in Eng
land, feet OF ships on the seas, four large
estates in Ceylon to raise teas, coffee
plantations in Brazil, wooden mills and
tories, groves in Greece and wheat eleva-
tors at Montreal. 1t has its own jam and
pickle plants and tailor shops.
Edinburgh, which is the Scotch head
quarters of the alliance, numbers more
than one-h half Of its Inhabitants as MEM
bers of the alliance. The English head
quarters are in Manchester, with branches
at London and Newcastle. The alliance
maintains a purchasing headquarters for
American goOus In New IOFk. Among
the advantages OF the plan is that the
members get only pure and unadulterated
products.
Besides being able to purchase goods at
a lower cost than most large stores, and
then sell them on two per cent. margin,
the alliance will give its members divid-
end on the amount purchased. This
dividend may be collected at the end Of
each year or may remain in savings fund
and accumulate interest.
The alliance also acts as building and
loan association, and any member who
has one-fifth of the cost of proposed
dwelling may get advances for the rest OF
the amount from the association. Several
thousand members, MIR. Maxwell said,
had paid for their homes out Of their divid-
ends from year to year, first allowing
their dividends to accumulate until they
had one-fifth of the amount needed to
build q home, and then allowing their
dividends from year to year to pay for it.
ssThus," he said, sthey literally ate and
clot he'd themselves into . home, as many
persons drink themselves out of one."