The Connecticut labor press. (New Haven, Conn.) 191?-1921, 1920-07-17
LACK OF INTEREST
KILLS COOPERATIVE
STORES PLAN HERE
Trades Council Project Formally
Abandoned at Meeting
Thursday Night.
VOTE TO RETURN MONEY
Workers Listened to More Plau-
sible Arguments and Are Now
Seeking Money Back.

The proposed COOPERATIVE Society
and stores started by the New Haven
Traes Council odfficers several months
ago, is no more. Lack of interest
caused the Trades Council on
Thursday night to abandon the pro-
ject and to instruct Treasurer Patrick
F. O'Meara to return all moneys col
lected for stock subscriptions. That
amounted but to trif1e more than $500
so it will not be a hard task for Mr..
O'Meara and he is already doing so.
At the suggestion of President
O'Meara last February, the Trades
cooperative society to cut the high cost
committee to carry on the movement.
President Ornburn appointed a COM
mittee consisting of representatives of
each local organization and this COM
mittee got to work with a vim. The
Rochda1e plan which has proved very
successful in other labor movements to-
ward cooperation was adopted and ex-
planned at mass meeting held in
Trades Council hall and addressed by
representatives of the COOPERATIVE
League of New York, endorsed by the
| A. F. of L.
At the same meeting representatives
of so-called cooperative society start
ed in Bridgeport and supposed to be
| fathered by prominent men of the
| state, also asked permission to explain
their proposition and were accorded it.
| They also visited different local organ
| izations and were such plausible speak
! ers that many union men dropepd inter-
| est in the Trades Council proposition
and subscribed for the other, its pro-
position being put forth in more glow
/ ing terms. Now according to the rep
RESERVATIONS made by members at the
meeting of the Trades Council Thurs
day night, the store promised immedi-
ately to be opened on Crown street, is
still myth, many of the men who sub
| scribed are looking for their money
| back and can find neither the men nor
any one else to get it from. Some have
consulted attorneys in the matter SO
| there may be an aftermath in that line
later.
Meantime the committee continued
work but several weeks ago realized the
hopelessness of carrying on the Trades
Council movement longer unless more
| interest was taken by the rank and file
The matter was therefore made the
| special order of the day for the meet
ing this week and after considerable
| discussion 1t was voted to drop the mat
ter for the present at least and return
the money collected. While there ha:
been considerable expense attached tt
the movement, this was in part met by
contributions from the several unions
to pay for the necessary literature ane
if this is not sufficient the Trades Coun
Gil will have to settle the balance.
Seeing the probable death of th'
Trades Council movement, the men EN-
ployed in the railroad shops who were
much interested in the movement, two
weeks ago took UP cooperative plar
of their own and it is already in sucf
shape as to warrant going ahead. II
one day last week more than 81 200 wa
subscribed at SIS share and with othel
subscriptions that came in warranted :
committee appearing before the rail
road heads and asking for space nea
the shops where the store can be opened
and the men employed take advantag
of it. This is now being worked ou
with the company heads and it is ex
pected that in few weeks the railroa'
cooperative store will be reality.