The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1913-12-19
IN LABOR'S SHOPS
Status of Cooperative Industrial
ism In England.
HOW THE SCHEME WORKS.

stores Are prosperous, put manufac-
turing Societies Are of Slow Growth.
Spirit of Solidarity Manifest In Co.
operative Workshops.
Samuel Z. Orth writes as follows
in the New York Times of cooperative
enterprises in Great Britain:
After over sixty years of earnest
attempts in Great Britain to establish
cooperative productive societies there
are now seventy-nine societies in ex-
istence whose combined capital is 49,,
01T,000, with an annual trade valued
at $6,235,0OO. Assuredly this is not a
formidable showing. This is largely
due to the lack of capital to finance.
On the other hand, it is easy to start
cooperative store and keep it going.
because the amount Of capital required
is not large, the number of employees
is small, the amount of managerial
skill needed is limited, and the market
is always at hand among those who
back the enterprise AS a consequence
the wholesale and retail societies have
grown enormously and with rapidly
increasing wealth.
Leicester, a fourishing manufac-
turing town, may be called the center
of cooperative production. Here the
Cooperative Productive federation has
its headquarters. This federation is
the practical organizing body of the
co-operator The secretary of the
federation. Robert Halstead. was
weaver's apprentice, became a CO.
partnership workingman and now is
a leading spirit in the movement With
him as my guide I visited a number
of the productive societies in Leicester.
One of the oldest is the Cooperative
Printing society, established in 1876 in
a little shop. 1t has flourished.
found all the external evidences of
thrift and enthusiasm. These were al
ways in evidence in every cooperative
shop l visited. l asked the various
foremen if they had any difficulty in
getting labor One of them answered
1--WE have a long waiting list, almost
all of them shareholders in this con.
Germ. We get the pick of the men.
Mind you, we consider printing an art
and a very intelligent class of men ap
ply"
| learned that there were very few
labor ructions. Once foreman had
become unpopular and was retired.
But there have been no strikes. If any
employee becomes unreasonable or un.
endurable he is fired, as in any other
shop. Only the committee gives him
chance to be heard The fact that he
is stakeholder does not shield him.
l questioned considerable number
of the workmen. | found that nearly
all had experience in competitive shops
and that they greatly preferred to
work for themselves, as they termed
their present employment.
One man said: THE spirit in this
shop is very different from that of any
other l have ever been in. There is
more care for the product here, the
men are not so wasteful, and we have
Il self interest in the output
In one of the shoe shops | was told
that a workman was overheard saying
to his neighbor, John, you have big
pile of waste today" The quarterly
balance sheet shows the profits of each
department. and there is rivalry among
the departments to make good show.
ing. I'VE always read the balance
Sheet" one of the women told me-
And l suppose that this vigilance is
one of the indications of the success of
the copartnership idea.
What l found in the Leicester shops
l found elsewhere in shoe factories,
textile mills and printing works. One
may say that the productive co-opera-
tive shops have always the pick Of
the most industrious and ambitious
workmen; that self interest stimulates
them to the greatest industry and
economy in their work. 1t would be
interesting to measure the waste in
cooperative shoe shop and a COM
petitive shop.
/ was impressed with the superior
quality and intelligence of the man.
ayers and the up to date methods in
vogue.
1t is not surprising to find a spirit
of solidarity among these workmen.
One of the elder women in a boot fac
tory put it this way: Eyes, have
worked in other shops, but 1 like it
here best because we earn better
wages. And then we have sociables
and teas and all get acquainted, SO
that we feel like one big family"
Secretary Halstead said to me: at
takes brains and heart TO be success.
full in cooperation. Not every kind
of business can be conducted on this
plan. We can succeed only in lines
of business that enlist intelligent and
expert workmen. Unskilled labor
would not be a practical field for us.
and contracting. for instance, is not
good business for cOpartnership.
There is too much risk in it,
"Then." I asked. at takes money
too?"
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