Arizona republican., 1912-03-16

1 president, in d special message to | congress. has transmitted the firsL ] installmeut of the information collect ed by the department of state in re- gard to cooperation and the cost of living in various European countries. ! The department by direction of the 1 president. instructed the consular of ficcrs to make the investigation. The results of the inquiry are summed up | in a letter fro mACting Secretary of State Huntington Wilson. which is i submitted with the consular reports
 and with d summary of their con | tents
 The president in his message says that the popular demand for infor- nation of this character apparently was based on the belief that some remedy might be found for the high cost of living. The immediate result of the inquiries instituted by the de ! partmcnt of state through the con- sular officers was to accentuate the | fact that the increase in the prices of the common necessities of life is world wide. and that it is an absorb ing question with the cooperative associations. Intelligence presented by the cooperative societies shows that even where there has been an advance in wages the percentage has not kept pace with the rise in the cost of food supplies The president says that the information collected by the department of state is a perma- nent contribution to the history of the l.F solve the problem for themselves of production. distribution and consump- tion. IT the cooperative associations which have been in existence for halt a century have not been able to de- termine the fundamental causes of the increased cos tof living or so to retard the advance. the student of so- cial progress may at least derive in structiOn from the account of the as- sociations and their influence on the wellbeing fo their members.
 The president also caiis attention to
 lis message of February ?. in which he recommended an international commission to look into the cause for the high prices of the necessities Of life and the possible remedies
 
 ized by congress. he says. the relation of the cooperative societies to this subject would be of great interest.
 Acting Secretary Wilson in the let ter to the president describing the ac- tiyities of the department of state in carrying out the presidents instruc- tiCns. says that while the consular officers were engaged in their inves- tigations. their attention was drawn 10 the facts given by the cooperative societies concerning the advance in the prices of the most necessary ar ticles of food. The reports on this phase of the subject were uniform in showing that the members of the CO., operative associations were feeling the universal increase in the cost of sta pie commodities. The consul general al London forwarded d table prepared ny the cooperative wholesale socie- ties which exhibited the increased cost of certain articles in the United Kingdom since 1898. From q sum- mary of rates of wages it was devel- oped that the per cent. of increase in certain trades from 1896 to 1910 was III and in food prices 19.5. The wages of railway employees during this period had increased oniy I.3 per cent The consul at Southampton re- ported that during the past five years there had been an advance of 20 per cent. in the purchase price of fresh beef mutton, bacon. hams. butter, | eggs, fruit. tea, dried fruits, sugar, | coffee. fuel. tin goods. women's ap-
 T.. bedding furniture and underwear. A ! series of figures relating to general | groceries compiled by the Co-opcra | tive Wholesale Society of Manche ster | gave an instructive example of what 1 the rise in the cost of provisions | meant to an ordinary family. Taking | the table. as a whole it appeared that l as compared with 1898 the increased | cost of living in 1910 was 1886 per l cent
 It is noted that the increased reg istration of cooperative societies in l recent years is probably due to the | impetus given to the organization of | cooperative agricultural societies through the parent Agricultural Or 1 ganization society, The cooperative 1 agricultural societies are aided by the | parent society in negotiations with | railway companies government de- | partments and business houses. They 1 are organized in much the same man l rer as distributive societies. Supplies of all kinds are purchased jointly a wholesale. Farm produce is graded l and distributed through means of de- | pots maintained in neighboring towns | or through selling agent Markets ar visited by agents who informed the l members as to the quality and price | of produce.
 The development of cooperation is l