The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-03

the classes, the Army and Navy Co., operative society, deserves more space than can be accorded to it here. Practi- cally every American visitor to London becomes familiar with its big headquar- ters in Victoria street. close to the Ameri- can embassy. Formed in 1871 by officers of the two great English services, with a capital of only $75,0O0 its establishment was largely in protest against the exorbi- tant prices charged by grocers and other vendors of household articles in those days. During the first year It's sales amounted to S650.O00, whereas its forty first annual report. covering 1913. which lies before me. shows sales amounting to $16000,0o0. The net profit for the year was, roughly. s650,ooo
 Such, in brief, is the record of CO., operation in Great Britain. The last year for which there has been an official report Q911), shows that the movement. fin its various phases, represents a mem bership of 2992, ,570. while the total assets of the societies reach. total of $S40,000 coo or an addition of more than $24. GOO. 600 during the year 1911. The balance on the trade of the year in 2021 societies re. suited In profit of $60. .000, 900. and in 222 societies in loss amounting to $l275O0 Of the profit the sum of s4S350D was ap- piled to educational purposes.
 Budapest Rungary's capital, has mean while initiated system of municipal trading which may more closely resemble the proposed experiment of the United States Steel corporation than the English cooperation movement Budapest has suddenly changed itself from being Aus. tria-Hungary's dearest city to the cheap est. This is entirely the result of munich pal trading At a municipal meeting last month Burgermeister Barny announced that the cost of food in the last four years has been reduced by 19 per cent, whereas in Vienna in the same period, the average price of necessaries has gone up A per cent. While Vienna is the dear est city in central Europe, and suffers from chronic high price riots. Budapest citizens are rejoicing in general cheap ness.
 Austria and Hungary have the same tariff system The only difference is that in Vienna the storekeeper makes a big profit whereas in Budapest you now buy year meat, eggs and veget ables in stores conducted by the city which makes no profit at all. "Our town" says Herr Barny, Ifs becoming a universal trader. That is the only way to fight high prices"
 Budapests initiative In starting municipal food stores Is a result of the bread riots of four years ago. Vienna clamored for relief. but the government gave none. The municipality kept to the policy initiated by the late Bur germeister Luerger-"Handsome Carl' --the policy of favoring at all costs the small storekeeper. Budapest did the opposite. It resolved that as the gov ernment would not cut down the tariff 1t would cut down the storekeeper's s profits. and ever since then 1t has been cutting them down.
 First Budapest started as a butch er It established in Buda. In Pest, and in the Altofen district handsomely equipped municipal meat stalls. The stalls were intended for the poor. But as the meat was better and cheaper than in private stores all classes pa tronized them. Prices were about three quarters of the private stores prices The butchers were threatened with ruin. They sent complaining deputa ; tions to the memorable municipality and the inexorable municipality replied that if would open more stores. The municipality then relented and made an agreement with the butchers. If they would cut down their prices It would open. 1t promised. no more stores