Southwest Washington labor press. [volume] (Hoquiam, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1924-12-12
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 1.-THE co
operative societies Of Europe have IN
many cases been the basis upon which
the reconstruction and development Of
trade and industry could proceed and
without which certain economic re-
forms seemed impossible, according
to the federal trade commissions re-
port TO congress on cooperation in
foreign countries.
The report is a most sweeping in
dorsement OF the principle Of cooper
alton and is the result Of an investi-
cation in Europe last year BY Chair
man Huston Thompson Of the COM
mission and DR.. William Notz, chief
Of the export trade division.
The outstanding feature Of the re-
port is a recommendation that retail
consumers cooperative societies be
established in the thielZly populated
rural districts of the United States.
Organization of farmers cooperative
sales societies for marketing agrieul-
tural product directly from the farm
to the city household is also recon-
mended.
Distribution of the electric power to
rural communities through farmers
cooperative societies has proved so
advantageous in Europe that a great
er development Of this means of fur
nishing light, heat and power is rec
commended for the consideration of
farmers in this country. Cooperative
distribution of coal and milk is fav-
ored.
eff the cooperative movement in
the Unitde States is to develop sue
cessfully and without injury to the
public welfare" the report adds, ait
will be necessary to avoid friction be-
tween organized consumers and or
ganized producers. To this end a
study should be made how these two
groups can assist rather than antag-
onize each other"
During the world war the state
authorities in a number of countries
found in the co-operatives the best, if
not the only, large scale organization
available for distribution of the neces-
saries of life and serviceable agency
for protecting the public against
profiteers.
"In Finland, the Baltic republics,
Poland and Czechoslovakia, where the
world war destroyed most means of
livelihood, the state authorities are
availing themselves of cooperative
organizations, established prior to the
war, as the most serviceable means
for reconstruction.
'In some Of the larger countries of
Europe, like the United Kingdom,
Germany and France, the consumers
cooperative societies rank among the
largest producers and distributors of
necessaries of life. In England and
Germany nearly half the population
| if affiliated with the consumers
wholesale and retail societies. In
Czechoslovakia it is estimated that
about 100000 people are directly
interested in cooperative enterprises.
The farmers of Finland owe their
present economic prosperity primarily
to cooperation.
"a further feature Of the cooper
alive system Of distribution consists
in the elimination of unnecessary
middleman's profits, the aim being to
distribute goods as directly as pos
sible from the producer to the ulti-
mate consumer. Most retail societies
are members of a cooperative whole
sale society and obtain their stock
of supplies from the latter. Some
retail societies and most wholesale
societies manufacture a large part
of the goods handled by them. Mem
bers of retail societies therefore prac-
tically obtain their goods at the cost
of production plus small charge for
distribution"