Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1912-12-20
COOPERATIVE Plan
INTEREST GROWING
High Cost of Living Reviyes Acc
tivity, Says WintOn c.
Garrison.
STATISTICS BUREAU HEAD
SUBMITS REPORT FOR 1912
Advocates Encouragement of
Idea for Benefit of People
of Modest Means.
Irrom n stan Correspondent.1

IFrom stan CorrespOndent.I
TRENTON, y. J.. Dec. 20.-One o
the subjects presented in the 1912 re
port of Winton c. Garrison, of New
ark. chief of the bureau of statistics
is the present status of the coopera
tive movement N New Jersey and tn,
number of associations that hav
been formed since the passage, il
1884, of the act to provide for tn
formation and regulation of co
operative societies of workmen.p
! This statute. properly known as tn,
cooperative act was passed for th'
purpose of bringing within reach o
workingmen and other residents o
limited means in New Jersey all tn,
benefits, advantages, immunities. etc.
conferred by the general corporation
act, without requiring them to pay
the usually heavy fees or to observe
the numerous forms usually Incl.
dental to organiza tion and the filing
of subsequent reports.
What the Act Provides.
The cooperative act allows to So
c'eties formed under it the fullest
possible opportunities for expansion
by the adoption of such business
regulations and forms as seem best
adapted to the local conditions and
circumstances of each, with. of
course, such reasonable restrictions
as are required for safeguarding the
interests of members and preventing
abuse of the privileges which it con-
fers. The administration of the act
was made a part of the duty of the
chef of the bureau of statistics All
certificates of incorporation under it
are required to be submitted for his
approval one copy of the certificate
is filed in the office of the bureau and
another in the office of the clerk of
the county in which the place of
business of the association is situated.
The societies are required to file an
annual statement of their business
opera tions with the chief of the
bureau, who has authority to see that
all requirements of the cooperative
act are strictly obeyed.
From 1884 to and including eleven
months of 1872. siXtY-four certificates
of incorporation were filed in the
bureau and received the apfroyal of
the chief. Two-thirds of fthis num-
Der were to carry ON cooperative
stores, a large proportion of the re-
mainder were for the purpose of man
aging productive and d.stributive en-
terprises in combination, several
undertook to run cooperative fac
tories ON a small scale, and several
others were organized under the
title Patrons of Husbandry," to
market farm products and effect
economy in the purchase of necessary
farm machinery and domestic sup
plies.
The productive societies all failed,
although a few among them con-
tinued in business for several years.
Some of the distributiye societies
continued for years, doing a success
full business, but many of them
closed up their stores within one
year after they were opened.
The Cause of New Activity.
From 1893 to 1911 there were very
few societies organized, but since the
latter year there has been a decided
revival of interest among working
men in the possi bilities of coopera-
ton as a means of checking the in
creasing costliness of food supplies
and fourteen societies We're organized
during the years 1911 and 1912. Ot
these eleven were for the purpose OF
conducting stores, one for coopera-
tive contracting in the building ant
construction lines. one to carry on g
| publishing and printing business ant
one, the Fellowship Farm Coopera.
tive Association" owners of a trac
of $50 acres at Stelton, n. J., "tC
establish and maintain for it's mem
bers home farm with individually
held plots of land and houses, bu
with collectively common
land, buildings. machinery and tool:
required for collective use"
Plan should BE Encouraged.
The cooperative store societies are
composed to a large extent of Italians
and Lithuanian workmen living il
the large cities. Four organiZa tions
of this character were formed In
Newark, and five in Paterson and it:
vicinity during the past two years.
The authorized capital of these
fourteen recently formed societies as
shown by their certificates of in
corporation is s52S. 900, and the amoun
paid in at the time of fling theii
| certificates was s32, COO. This remark.
able revival of interest in cooperation
as a means of self-help against the
rising tide of prices is quite likely
to develop into a factor of economic
Importance, and should be encour.
aged in every proper way, says the
report.
Mr.. Garrison has in preparation
very copious review of the coopera
tive movement in New Jersey, whicl
/ will snnn he ready for, ni1hlica tinn