Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-11-03

Cooperative Trading Co. supplies one
fourth the families of the town with
milk. through its own dairy. During
the two years Of its business, the CO.
operative dairy has served pure milk
at saving to its members of SIS 1000
It has been said that cooperation
cannot succeed in a large city, but
There are some large co-operatives in
Chicago that are living contradiction
to this statement. The Roseland Co
operative Association, consisting for
1.-THE most part, of membership of
Pullman car workmen, conducts two
stores and runs restaurant. 1t does
a business in excess of 100000 a
year, and never has failed to return
dividends to its purchasers. The Work
mems Cooperative Mercantile Asso-
citation, also of Chicago, has four gro
Gerry stores doing an enormous bust
ness. These societies are among the
many sound co-operatives operating in
Illinois. They reflect the condition of
the Cooperative Movement elsewhere.
In Pennsylvania, for example, in the
mining regions, there are upwards of
zoo stores run by the co-operatives.
One of these, comparatively small
one, is typical of the beginning Of these
enterprises. In the city of Reading,
Pa, there is thriving store that start
ed out with a stock consisting entire
ly of a $2.00-bag of meal. The profits
of this tiny transaction were reinvest-
ed by the members and the society
grew. until now it owns its own $751;
3O0-building. does a booming business
and has paid several dividends to its
members.
One of the most notable co-opera-
tives in the country is the Franklin CO.
operative Creamery Association, Of !,
Minneapolis. This is an organization
Of consumers, who furnished the cap
ital for their own dairy. The creamery
began business in March of this year,
with sixteen routes. 1t now has fifty
nine routes, and is supplying consum-
srs with considerably over million
dollars worth of dairy products a year.
The quality of milk supplied is of the
highest grade. The cooperative dairy
vas instrumental in forcing the private
milk dealers to reduce the price of
milk from l3 cents to 10 cents a
quart. Dividends are paid to mem
,ers of the cooperative.
These are only few of the many
genuine cooperative societies in this
country, They are run on the same
principles followed by the Co-opera-
i've Movement abroad - the Roch-
lale principles evolved in England. The |
ound, progressive cooperative socie- {
les are federated into an educational
ssociation, called The Cooperative +
league of America. The League per- t
orms variety of functions; it pro- I
ects genuine societies against the q
axes, it publishes bulletins and mag t
zines. it collects information which it q
rints in pamphlets, it tours speakers, S
furnishes movies. gives legal, account !
ng and other technical advice. The
ocieties affiliated with The Co-opera-
i've League of America have rarely |
allied.
The Cooperative Movement in Am
.rica is only beginning to grow: 1t is
:ollowing the slow but sure methods
If the co-operatives in Great Britaia
hat supply one-third of the families
IF Great Britain, and that are growing
much faster than the population. The
present vast cooperative enterprises
in Great Britain began with one little
store with a capital of $4,000. What
has been done in Great Britain can