Evening star., 1936-09-06
COOP COMMITTEE
AT REPORT STAGE
Bank System Will Be Re-
viSed on Basis of Euro
pean Tour.

President Roosevelt's interest In Or
ganizations of consumers and pro-
ducers' co-operatives as q way to re-
duce the costs Of business and solve
many Of the country's economic prob
lens was the prime reason for the visit
of a congressional committee to Eu-
rope, where it made q two months
study of cooperative movements. That
committee is about to conclude its
study and report to the President. Its
report will help in the proposed re-
vision of bill introduced in Congress
last Spring providing for the estab-
lishment of a central bank with local
branches for consumer co-operatives.
The growth of consumer co-opera-
tives in the United States during re-
cent years has been truly remarkable,
particularly among farmers. The
President hopes that, by study Of the
movement abroad, particularly in
Great Britain and Sweden, way will
be found to bring industry under a
measure of control in the United
States which will not be offensive to
our individualistic philosophy.
10000 Groups in United States.
The first American cooperative got
under way in this country in the early
18SOs. Today there are more than
10. 900 such co-operatives in the United
States. According to the Bureau Of
Labor Statistics of the Department of
Labor, which recently made compre-
hensive survey Of the cooperative
movement in this country, there are
now 284 cooperative stores handling
groceries, meats, general merchandise
and fuel; 500 cooperative gasoline f1ll-
ing stations, 19 restaurants, 10 bak-
cries and many other kinds of enter
prises of the cooperative plan.
1t was primarily co-operatives for
consumers that the President had in
mind when he sent his committee to
Europe and he pointed to the fact that,
in 1884, according to official figures.
there were more than 10000 such CO.
operatives in the United States doing
a business Of more than $3.50, ,000,0 900 a
year and having more than q million
and one-half members.
In spite of these rather impressive
figures of consumer co-operatives. 1t
is the producer co-operatives that
today lively dominate the movement
in the United States. According to
DR.. Joseph G. Knapp. principal agri-
cultural economist in the co-opera-
tive division Of the Farm Credit
Il ,,e&x-a
co-operatives today involve more than
1000, 900 farmers in their marketing
associations. OF these, about 80 per
cent are interested in handling dairy
products. 23la per cent handle grains,
l6 per cent live stock and 10 per cent
cotton.
CO-0ps' Business Increased.
In its report on cooperative mar
keting of dairy products during the
1856 season, the Farm Credit
Administration states that the co-ops
increased their business from s440,-
100000 In 1885 to 520,000,00O in
1896. More than IS per cent Of the
creamery butter produced and 20
per cent of the cheese is handled
through cooperative agencies. Then.
of course, there are the co-operatives
that handle fruit, grain. vegetables
and nuts.
According to DR.. Knapp. foreign
experience shows that cooperation
among consumers requires a different
method of approach from that among
producers and that in most instances
abroad it has grown up as part of
the organized labor movement. The
supporters Of the idea of an extern
sion of consumer co-operatives in
this country argue that since the
United States seems about to enter
a period of an extension Of the Or
gsnization Of labor, this development
of consumer co-operatives Is to be
expected.
(Copyright, 1885,