The daily morning oasis., 1920-08-26
EDITORIALS:
COOPERATIVE STORES

Nearly three-quarters of century ago. in Roch-
dale, England there was originated system of mer-
chandising by which consumers of commodities unit
ed IN establishing stores for supplying their own
wants and needs that returned to those Interested
the profits made in the business. They were called
cooperative stores" In one form or another thew
have spread into various parts of the world. with
varying success They have appealed to all classes.
but have TAKEN probably more COMPLETELY with fhe
farmers than with any other class of the population
Ihey have their greatest development in the vast re-
glon west CT the Missouri River-Kansas and Neb
praska, with the Dakotas. But in one of the latter
states the movement has passed beyond the co-one,
awe stage as between various members of the com
mtnlty and commonwealth but the state entered the
cooperative business for all people That is onera
ZION OF the Non-Partisan LeaMle in North Dakota
OF which so much is heard of late that is criticised
go der1ded by its opponents as failure, and laudeH
DIV lCs proponents as complete success Opponents
Oh the Non-Partisan League brand it as Socialism.
pure and simple. Whether it Is a dismal failure or
moving success is moot question as yet but time
will tell If it be failure the people of NORTH Ia
kota will not submit to it any great length Of time
1t VIII be swept away at election Just as il was
established by an election
whatever may be said for or against the Non
PARTISAN League of North DAKOTA. there seems to
have been attendant no little success in the system
VI cooperative stores as operating in Kansas and
Tess trade journal publishe by the Rnrro1,ohs
suung machine Company and circulating for adver-
using purposes i25,OOO copies 1onthlv an extended
artlce from which is ulled tl,:t uner the a,snices
OF single organization of farmers Kansas b.s eoo
cooperative associations of local nature about 9oO
=. WIFI 'Fefate retail stores only; the 500 others
run retail stores, operate gram elevators and dhT
IN hay, grain, flour sugar sal. and snch co,,,,o1;
les The heaviest and largest of local assoc+;ons
described does business aggrec atng So 600 ono an
iy us retail store alone showing GROSS saIoc tot
a,.1ng nearly 100000 ANNUALLY. Tooetbo, nnJ =,
a lines OF activity the 600 local cooperative a1soca-
luis operateo IN Kansas by members of this one or
i1a'lon OF farmers are rolling up gross animal
business OF two hundred millions Of dollars '''''o"i
oeSioe tnls great aggregation of farmers, a.
zoe commercial activities there are in Kansas
'" "'erauVe retail stores operated bv local 1abor
ioii0; ana Desde those there are probably scoro
u otner cooperative stores established ard con
to oy groups of individuals, who witho1+ tho
no OF any prior organization Rave associated +b,,
'"'Ves in cooperative enterprises for ,,,+,,o1 ho
III Total gross business done by these labor ,n1on
anu independent co-Operativ, associations :, Kon
SdS Is estimated at more thar S2O0OOOOO an1.nallv
NEBRASKA, with about an equal number Of farm
o :'o''s ana aoout the same number of labor union
'nd independent stores does an amount of co ono.o
rye business about equal to that of Kansas
Beside the four states mentioned in q nrocood;ns
paragraph (kansas, Nebraska and the two Dol1otas\
system mas spread into adjacent states and taken,
root Iowa, where development of the schoro =
h"en more recent than in Kansas or Nebraska has
about 300 incorporated cooperative enterprises en-
gagged in retail trade and in onoretng grain elevat-
' hit in addition to these there are in Iowa some
300 or 500 unincorated associations engaged in mar
ketJng livestock and other products of the farm
Missouri and Oklahoma have each made hna1thv
start with about 100 cooperative associations apiece
and Colorado with an active state wide interest in
the subject has developed well organized state wide
association of hos hoor established ond r