The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-09-23

the coal combine.
Canadian Farmers Save Millions By
Cooperative Marketing and
Purchasing
Fourteen years ago the farmers
of Canada organized the United
Grain Growers, Ltd, for the CO.
operative marketing of their grain.
That they have most successfully
accomplished what the United States
Grain Growers, Inc, is now striv-
ing to do for the farmers on this
side of the border is indicated by
the publication of their financial
report for the past year. The &c.
900 farmers comprising the organ
ization, besides marketing 24,500.00O
bushels of grain and 1864 cars of
live stock, thereby saving several
million dollars in brokerage fees
and commission agents charges,
purchased through their organiza-
ton at wholesale prices nearly
$7000,000 worth of farm and house
hold supplies, including coal, hay.
Irvine and binding wire, flour and
feed, fruits and vegetables, lum-
Der, farm machinery, etc, at a
saving of 1929, $4,000 for themselves.
Cooperation is the price of ag-
ricultural salvation. whether in
Canada or the United States.
Cooperative Laundry Serves BY Mail
The Citizens Cooperative Laun-
dry, organized by union labor of
Little Rock, Arkansas, announces a
mail order service by which it can
serve rural co-operators who want
their laundry done in a model es-
tablishment at minimum cost Since
the parcel post charges on ten
pound package amount to but 15c
within a radius of $50 miles, this
cooperative laundry can rapidly ex-
tend the splendid service which it
has for some time rendered to the
city workers.
Up in Seattle the Model Coop
erative Laundry, likewise establish
ed by union labor, has proved so
successful that second laundry has
had to be organized to care for
the overflow work. Cooperative
laundries have long been highly
successful in Europe, and there is
every reason why labor unions and
cooperative societies should pro-
mote them in this country. The
three main advantages of co-opera-
tive laundries are: ~ they remove
much of the wash-day drudgery
from the workingman's home; (2)
they effect a considerable saving
in the laundry bill, (the net profit
reported by the National Federation
of Cooperative Laundries of Eng
land for the past year is 12h%o),
and (3), they provide employment
at living wage and under model
working conditions for one of the
worst-exploited groups of workers
the laundry employees.
Ten Thousand Workers Get
Dividends
On the last dividend-paying day,
ten thousand working people passed
through the central office of the
Leeds (England) Industrial Coop
erative Society to receive their pa
tronage dividends on purchases made
from the Society during the past
year. Of these, 7,700 drew their
dividends, and the other $500 re-
invested them in the business.
The Leeds Society was organized
by common working people of this
English manufacturing city, and its
achievements are an inspiration for
co-operators in this country. Its
membership now comprises nearly
100000 people, and the scope of its
operations is indicated by the fact
that it possesses more than 100
grocery stores, 80-odd butcher shops,
and numerous dry goods stores,
shoe stores, coal yards, and fish
and vegetable stores throughout
the city. The Society also owns
nearly 100 factories for the manu-
facture of the products it sells,
including boots and shoes, furni-
ture, brushes, musical instruments,
flour, harness and leather goods,
bread, cake and crackers, hams, ba-
con and lard, shirts, hosiery. and
clothing, and other staple articles.
The sales of the Society exceed
0,000,000.00 a year, and the divi
dend paid members has for some
years ranged from 20%o to 22120.
In addition to this ample financial
dividend, the profits are used in
part to maintain libraries, reading
rooms, meeting halls, restaurants,
and country recreation homes for the
benefit of the members and en-
ployes; while more than 100000 a
year is spent on educational work
to spread cooperative ideals.
The population of the city of
Leeds is 435,000. There are IA
American cities with a greater pop
ulation. Suppose that the working
people in these IA cities were to re-
ceive back 20%o of their annual
food and clothing bills from the re-
tail stores where they spend their
wages. A 20f6 saving in living
expenses equals an increase in
wages of just that amount. If
English workers can do this, can
not American workers do it too?
High Cost of Living Falls $4,000
Seats on the New York Stock
Exchange have dropped from $780,
900 to $4,000, decrease of $4,000
from the last sale. This ought to be
of great comfort to working reople
pressed by the high cost of living
for the spectators on the stock
exchange have to collect the cost of
these seats from the nations pro-
ducers.