Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1918-03-23


ganization of wholesale society and thus
take the next step and cut out the profit
of the wholesaler. And when still more
societies have grown up and the member
ship has become sufficiently great, the
wholesale society, instead of buying from
the importer and manufacturer, imports
and manufactures for ITSELF When this
last step has been taken the economic prob
lem is solved; the gamut is run; the revo-
luton is consummated
Securing commodities at the cost of pro-
duction is the least Of the purposes Of the
Cooperative Movement. 1t aims at more
important things. It takes advantage of
the organization of people who have COM
mon needs, and introduces insurance
against sickness, death, unemployment ac
cidents, and old age. It provides pensions
for motherhood; makes loans to members
carries families on credit in the event of
strikes and lockouts provides housing rec
reations, clubhouses, medical and nursing
care, hospitals and sanitariums.
Still greater benefit than these accrues
to the co-operator. It is not alone that the
things he needs are made more easily Access
sible to him; it is not alone that he is
freed from the dangers and costs of dis
eased and adulterated food; it is not alone
that he is spared exploitation; it is not
alone that pensions, insurance. and housing
are made possible for him. it is not alone
that recreations, art and education are rem
dered accessible. Cooperation does a
greater thing than all these. It develops
in the soul Of man a new spirit. It makes
him a cO-Operator. It takes hold of the
fundamental and primitive instincts-to
help ones fellowman, to be kind, to be
generous, to render mutual aid-and en-
courages him. It teaches people to work
together for their mutual benefit. that the
concern of one is the concern Of all, and
that no man can cheat or be cheated with
out his neighbor also suffering.
All of this is not theory nor an ITO
plan dream. It has all come to pass. In
England in 1914 twenty EIGHT poor weavers.
with no better destiny than the poorhouse
before them, organized the Rochdale Equi-
table Pioneers Society, with a store with
only four commodities, keeping open only
in the evening. They had the vision and
the philosophy. From that small beginning
there has never been a recession Year
after year unfailing success has crowned
the movement Today the cooperative So
cieties in Great Britain embrace one-third
of the total population. For forty years
the movement has been growing five times
faster than the population has increased.
During the war the increase has been
ten times faster
Now what do we find? The cooperative
societies of Great Britain distribute nearly
$1,000, 100000 worth of commodities to
their members annually. The ''profit, or
more properly speaking, the savings, to
their members amounts to 800 100000
year. Of this amount $65000.000 are re-
turned in cash to the members in the form
&c Jc Tbo o1o 10
Society supplies 10000 societies. It owns
it's own steamships. 1t has thirteen great
warehouses. It gave 100000 toward the
construction of the Manchester ship canal
along which are it's great flour mills. It
is the largest purchaser Of Canadian wheat
It's eight flour mills are the largest in
Great Britain. These mills turn out thirty
ty-five tons of flour every hour for the
people who own the mills
The largest bakery in the world is
owned by the co-operators of Glasgow. The
British Cooperate wholesale has sixty five
factories. Their soap works make 500 tons
of coo,o vuoolx Thav nrOduce z 600 600