Montana labor news., 1935-09-26
Coop Organized at Be-
ginning OF Depression
Buys a Quarter Million
Dollar Oil and Gas Plant
Fifth Expansion in Six Years for
Mid West Cooperative.


ton. organized in 1929 and showing
an up curve throughout the depression
in direct contrast to competitive bus
iness. announced its fifth expansion il
six years with the purchase Of the $245,-
600 oil compromising plant formerly op-
Grated by the Pennsylvania Petroleum
Company in North Kansas City, Mis-
souri,.
The new home Of the Consumers
Cooperative Association is hailed by Z
R. Bowen, General Secretary Of the
Cooperative League, as an outpost oil
the new economic order. 1t is a fire
proof steel and reinforced concrete
structure, housing 81 oil compromising
tanks and providing 10000 50. #. Of
floor space. The property also in
cludes Al large oil storage tanks with
a capacity OF half a million gallons.
The Consumers Cooperative Assoc
iation was organized in Columbus, Mo
six years ago as the Union Oil Coop
erative. A one-room office, a two-cai
garage, two storage tanks, a small
warehouse and a determination to meet
the already devastating agricultural de-
preston by cooperative action were the
only equipment OF the organization
Six local retail cooperatives were then
members of the association. In June
1885, 30 local retail cooperatives in
8 states united 10000 individuals in
the cooperative. A trainload Of petro-
leum products was shipped each work
day in June from the plant in North
Kansas City to local retail co-ops. In
the evolution OF the organization the
present name was adopted when its
ACTIVITIES were' expanded to include
the distribution of a large number OF
commodities in addition to petroleum
products.
Cooperatives Saved Social Crisis Says
British Coop Leader.
Volume $500, 600, 900 a Year and Still
Growing Steadies England Thru
Crisis.
.
Declaring consumer cooperative pur-
chasing in England is stronger today
than ever before, Charles G. Tomlin-
son, Advertising Director of the Coop
erative Wholesale Society, Manchester
said in an interview with the New York
Times that the movement because Of
its Influence in creating individual ant
community solidarity saved England
from a serious catastrophy and socia
unheaval during the depression years
"The Society,"" continues the Times
report, "is the central wholesale agency
for the largest single retail enterprise
in England, with more than a thousand
member societies, a current annual
turnover Of $500, 100000 in merchandise
over 100 factories and its own bank"
"The Cooperative Movement, Tom
linson asserted, has had a tremendous
social significance in England 1t
gives the working class a solidity, in
dividually and as a community, by
teaching economic independence. Thro-
ugh the societies the average working
man gets a training in elementary eco
Monies and takes on a wider vision.
Whereas less than one per cent Of
the retail trade in the United States
is done by consumer cooperative gro
ups, about 10 per cent OF the retail
distribution in England is handled by
cooperatives, Mr.. Tomlinson said. He
added that in 1888 the total merchan-
disc purchases Of the English cooper
atives amounted to L,197, 100000 Slight
ly less than a billion dollars), a figure
2 per cent less than that of the pre-.
vious year, the decline being due t.
price recessions.
''The Cooperative Wholesale Society
he asserted, has a membership OF Z,
100000 families or the equivalent o
28,000,000 people who are supplied will
food clothing and other commodities
The Society, he said, is the largest i'm
porter Of tea in the world, with its owl
estates in India and Ceylon. 1t is alsc
the largest maker OF boots and shoe
in the country and ranks second onl,
to the Lever combine in the produc
ton of soap.
"In addition to these activities, Mr.
Tomlinson added, the Society operate
its own bank, which has a daily turn
owe amounting to L2,500,000."
100000 members Of cooperative SOC
ieties in the U. S. did a business 0