The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-03-02

pies that have ever been pro-
mulgated in this world.
"They have survived in spite Of
competition or persecution, and Of
war. The essential parts in these
principles are:
"(I In the cooperative enter
prise each member has one vote. All
producers and consumers are entitled
to be members, and capital does not
vote.
"(2) The wages or earnings If
capital are fixed like the wages Of
men, and they shall not exceed the
annual legal rate Of interest
"(3) One-tenth Of the net nrofts
are held in the business, and the 9TH
er nineteenth are distributed to the
members in proportion to their vol
ume Of trade with the enterprise.
The minor rules of operation are
"(D Goods shall be sold at the
prevalent current market prices.
"(2) All transaction shall be for
cash.
"C8) Societies federate with neigh
boring societies to be established as
branches.
go Every society shall teach
cooperation.
Vision Develops Into World
ENTERPRISE
Upon this vision and this method
this little society has grown into a
membership of over 100000 fami-
lies, which means over one-third of
the total population of Great Britain
"NOw, what do we find? The CO.
operative societies of Great Britain
distribute over a billion dollars
worth of commodities to. their mem
bers annually. The "proft," or.
more properly speaking, the savings.
to their members amounts to $780,
100000 year. Of this amount $685.
100000 annually are returned in cash
to the members in the form of "divi-
dends," or savings-returns. The
British Wholesale society supplies
1,500 societies. It owns its own
steamships. It has 10 great ware
houses. It is the largest purchaser
of Canadian wheat. Steam trawlers
owned by the cooperatives catch tons
and tons of fish, which are dried at
fishing stations in the north of Eng
Land. It's II flour mills are the
largest in Great Britain. These
mills turn out 35 tons of flour every
hour for the people who own the
mills.
Zone of the largest bakeries in the /
world is owned by the cooperators of
Glasgow. The British Cooperative
Wholesale has 6S factories which
turn out products for their societies
use, valued at 100000 pounds an
nually. Their soap works make 500
tons of soap a week. They produce
100000 pairs of boots annually in
the largest shoe factories of Eng
land. They conduct three great
printing plants. They even operate
automobile factories making motors
for their own service. They own
their own coal mines.
COOperatives Produce Many
Commodities
''They bring their own currants
from Greece to be made into plum
buildings in their own great fac
tories. Besides foodstuffs the British
cooperators now produce almost ev-
cry other cOmmodity-watches, fur
niture, tinware, machinery, clothing,
chemicals, leather goods
and brushes. Their total products
are five times greater than those of
the private manufacturers associa-
ton. They provide concerts and en-
tertainments. Their social work en-
braces most every branch of human
it serves not cooperators
alone, but is of wide public benefit.
They conduct ife-saving stations on
the coast and administer large funds
for. the relief of sufferers from fam
inc and unemployment.
"Their banking department, with
an annual turnover in 1919 of $780,
100000 pounds, is next to the Bank
Of England in Importance. It's growth
is steady. In the first half of 1920
it's turnover increased 26 per cent.
One-half of the industrial life and
accident insurance in Great Britain
is written by the cooperative society.
Their life insurance business is car
ried on at a cost of one-fourth Of
that which the proft-making COM
panies pay.
"The outstanding feature, however,
about this voluntary association OF
consumers in the British cooperative
is its great and continued