Arizona republican., 1912-03-16
PRESIDENT WRITES MESSAGE ON THE COST
 OF LIVING IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD

continuing in the United Kingdom at a fair rate, although not so rapidly as
 in the earlier years. The growth thus far has been confined to the wage la boring classes. \ study of the move
 mcnt by localities shows that cooper
 alton has flourished mainly in the
 industrial and manufacturing dis tricts. An example of the growth of
 individual societies and the manner
 in which their activities have ex-
 banded is found in the account given
 of cooperative society located at
 Leeds. which was founded in 1S47 for the primary purpose of securing cheaper flour.
 Opposition on the part of nonco-op- erative tradesmen is now decidedly
 less intense than in the earlier stages
 of the movement, the consular off,
 cers report, but widespread antag-
 onlsm still exists among British shop
 keepers and criticism is constant and
 searching. The claim is made by op-
 posing interests that co-opcrative
 trading can not compete with leciti
 mate retail trading. and in support of this contention figures are given
 Of Srocers' prices and of co-operative society prices of various food pro-
 ducts in which the grocers' figures are less than those of the co-opcra-
 tive societies. It is noted in refer
 ence to criticism of this character
 that the cooperative societies do not undertake to sell at lower than cur- rent prices, their aim being to give teh purchaSeI tha bnnafit oIo;,.aI . co-operative purchasers by returning IL in the for moi a dividend. The esti- mate is made that for the United Kingdom as whole the. dividends would average not far from Der cent. Of the purchase price paid bv the cooperative purchasers. The crit les of the cooperative movement al lege that these dividends are obtained by sacrificing the purity and excel fence of the merchandise furnished or by an actual raising of prices to compensate for the amount Of the dividends. The majority of the con- Sular reports seem to infer that the .diVldends paid to purchasing members do measure roughly a real reduction
 ln the prices of the commodities bought
 A number of the consular reports describe the semiprivate co-opcration
 concerns. which are patterned to T greater or less degree after the Roch- daie and allied systems. The most important of these is the Civil Service supply Association. which originated among employees of the postoffice de- partment who clubbcd together to se curew holcSale rates on the moro common household supplies. The ex- periInent was an immediate success and other governmental employees Jolhed the movement. The Civil Ser wee supply Association established the 1irSt department stores in Lon con- which after many years were opened to the general public. Its sales now approximate s1OOO0.OO0 annually No dividends are paid. The Army and Navy Stor cares operated on tbo i same general lines as the Civil Ser 1 vice Supply Association.
 Consumers coal associations have recently succeeded in a number of | British cities. A representative or Sanlzation of this type in London op- l crates by securing competitive ten | ders from leading collieries each sum- ] mer and, when prices have thus been 1 ascertained, furnishing order blanks | To members upon which the latter contract for the next winters suppIv i The amounts of theseorders arc to- tdied ana arrangements are concluded 1 with the successful bidders. The coal | SdeHVered and paid for from time to time during the foIlou-i,o. ,,.;,,.. upon orders from the purchasing member Each member is liable only TOT the amount of his contract order Membership is secured by purchasing q share of the common stock at s5 or taking q life ticket at s2.55. The saving on coal has varied from SD cents to Sl.3O per ton. according to the grade and other circumstances