The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-10
ENSLEY CITIZENS TO REDUCE
THE HIGH COST OF LIVING
BY CHARLES II. MANDY

one of the great problems of today
to the man of moderate income is the
high cost of living" The cost of liv-
ing is not a new problem by any means,
for ever since the struggle for exis-
tence began, people of all the past
ages, in every cline and country of the
world have had to meet this propo-
sition Never in the history of the world
have wages been as high as today, yet
the cost of living still has to be reck'
oned with, for with increased wages
have come increased prices for the COM
modities and necessities of life.
How much the cost of high living
enters into the problem can hardly be
ascertained. but certain 1t is that COM
modities that few decades ago were
regarded as luxuries are now looked
upon as necessities and if we live
"high" we must pay the price.
Back in the early forties the cost of
living was a serious question with the
cotton operatives in the county of Lam
cashire, England, and the spinners and
weavers found it difficult to provide
even the commonest of life's necessit-
les. 1T was not so much the high cost
of living that confronted them but
the difficulty to provide sufficient
bread and bacon for their families from
their meager earnings. In the year 1S4i
rs weavers met in an inn in the cot
ton manufacturing town of Rochdale
to discuss the proposition and to try
to devise some means of lettering their
condition. Finally q simple plan was
adopted, yet from that simple plan
has grown one of the most gigantic
commercial enterprises known to the
world
The % weavers formed cooperative
society to purchase their food supplies.
each contributing an equal amount to a
general fund with which to purchase
flour, and bacon, and tea and coffee and
other necessities, in wholesale quantities
ard each was to participate In the profits
thereby. 1t took some time for the plan
to prove a success, but those weavers
had the quality that makes for SUGGEST
perseverance, and after while the
co-c perative store had attracted the
attention of the entire town, its mem
bership increased and soon the scheme
was on a good, substantial basis and
proved quite factor in solving the prob
lem of the cost of living.
From that humble beginning has de-
yeloped a system of cooperative stores
| in the United Kingdom whose business
amounts to millions of dollars yearly, for
corporation, factories have been erected
where they manufacture staple articles
| and being always sure of the market, as
| they sell to themselves. they can pro-
duce these articles profitably. So great
| is the membership in the cooperative
stores of that country that it is esti-
mated that nearly one-fourth of the pop
| ulation of the United Kingdom have
| dealings at these stores.
| The plan has spread over the English
| speaking world and has been tried with
| more or less success in this country II
| is stated that there are over 200 CO.
I operative stores In the United States do
| ing an annual business of about $780, coo.
| The cooperative store has always proved
a success when operated under compe.
tent management, and its affairs wisely
administered
Yesterday in the probate court of JEFF
| ferson county articles of incorpora ton
were filed by the Ensley COOPERATIVE
Mercantile association, with a capital
stock of $4,000 of which $500 was paid
| in. The officers of the association are
| Il. b. Mayes president Nelson Thomas,
| vice president: r. A, Storm, secretary
| and treasurer. The purpose of the asso-
citation is to conduct a general mercantile
business on the cooperative plan at Ems
| ley with headquarters in the lower floor
!! of the Masonic hallton Avenue II. There
are 100 shares at SluV per snare, and as
was stated As shares have been sub
scribed
The organization OF this association
was brought about for the purpose of
| meeting the problem of the high cost OF
living and numbers among its members
some of the most substantial citizens Of
| the Steel City 4 number of the stock
hdlGers are from the old country, and
are familiar with the cooperative plan.
Alter a series of meetings, at which the
methods were thoroughly discussed, it
was decided to organize and launch the
lco-operative association. The organizers
are enthusiastic over the new venture, yet
are proceeding with caution. No divi-
del DIS are to be declared for the first six
months in order to give the plan fair
trial. Everyone connected with the asso-
ciation is optimistic as to its future and
pr, dict a big success.
Certain it is that they nave far greater
advantages than had those poorly paid
v,avers of RochdaIe. and they have the
! further advantage Of system that has
already been tried and proven and one