The San Francisco call., 1913-09-20
SEMI M MONTHLY ZINE

ldlSe HledSure OF Lne guilds, whose
Importance lies, not in their wealth,
but in their power to regulate all the
commerce and industries of one
fourth of the worlds population.
Business failures are rare in China
for the guilds usually assume the obli-
cations of the bankrupt, thereby pre-
venting a disturbance of credits. 1t is
seldom that civil suit comes up for
trial in a Chinese court, for business
disputes are almost invariably settled
by the guilds. A Chinese silk deal
er would laugh at the suggestion that
anyone but guild of silk merchants
could decide dispute in the silk
trade, and when one sees the celerity
with which such cases are settled in
the unofficial guild courts, and the
cheerfulness with which the verdicts
are accepted, he is inclined to agree
with the Chinese point of view.
The Chinese utilize the guild idea
of cooperation in dozens of ways un-
dreamt of by the westerner, a good
example of this being in the forma-
tion of the small loan guilds"
When Chang Wong finds himself in
urgent need of $500, he does not seek
out some prosperous friend and ask
him to go security on a note at the
bank. He knows better plan, which
is the organization of a loan guild"
among his friends. For loan of this
size, he will probably try to secure
twenty members, including himself,
and each member will pay first in
stallment of $25 on his membership
fee, thereby giving Chang his needed
$500. Thereafter each member of the
club pays S25 monthly and each
month lots are drawn for the lump
sum of $500. When a member has
once drawn the lucky number, he is
barred from further drawing, so that
at the end of twenty months, every
one will have paid in $500 in monthly
installments and will also have re-
ceived that amount in one lump sum-
EVERY Chinese cook in Manila be-
- longs to the Chinese cooks guild,
yet the chief purpose of this very
strong labor organization is not to
force up wages. 1t is primarily pur-
chasing agency. Each morning all the
their orders for the day. These are
added together and then the agents
for the guild go into the market to
purchase for their entire membership.
AS the largest buyers, they are able to
get the pick of everything, and are
also able to secure better prices than
would be quoted to the individual
buyer. The supplies are collected at
the guild house and are then divided
among the different members. In
this way the needs of all the en-
ployers of Chinese cooks become we'll
known, and if your cook leaves, he
can Immediately be replaced, through
the guild, by another who is thor
Oughly familiar with your meal
hours, your pet dishes, and your in
come.
The guild idea flourished in Europe
in the Middle Ages, when many were
formed. But they became too pow
erful, abused their privileges and
were abolished by governmental au-
thority. In Germany they remained
active until 1869, and a great deal
of the recent industrial development
of Germany may be attributed to the
activities of the many commercial or
ganizations which are really guilds,
through working under more modern
names. In America the ancient guild
idea is daily growing more popular.
The rapidly lengthening list of as
sociations, wherein all in a certain
industry are combined, is evidence of