Montana labor news., 1937-07-08
COOPERATIVE MOVE
COMES TO BUTTE
Miners Union Coop Now 0per-
ating at 421 East Park.

prove mans miserable lot on this
world, the Consumers Cooperative,
has now become a reality in Butte
with the opening of a store at All
East Park Street by the Miners I'm
ion Cooperative Association under
authority Of a charter granted by the
Secretary of State in March.
Although the local Cooperative
Association has a membership COM
posed almost entirely of Silver Bow
County residents, it has affiliations
with the other bona fide cooperative
organizations in the United States
through a national organization
which co-ordinates the expansion of
the local groups so they may tie in
with the expanding facilities of other
groups.
For example, should a Minnesota
cooperative be actively engaged in
manufacturing cheese or other dairy
products for their members, the 10
cal cooperative association could OBJ
tain their products for sale here.
Similarly, arrangements are being
effected for the local cooperative
association to obtain farm produce
from the Farmers Union, a produc-
ers cooperative which now has a
warehouse and distributing center in
Butte.
AS a result of such growing or
CARNATIONS on the producing and
consuming ends of our national
wealth it should be but a short time
until the exorbitant toll levied by
the middlemen or capitalists with
monopolistic power should be a
memory instead of a tragic reality
as it is today. The amount of such
toll may dimly be grasped from
noting the fact that in 1886 twenty
eight men paid income tax on profits
of $28,000,0 900 from wheat deals on
the Chicago Board of Trade although
not one of them was a farmer or had
actually handled the wheat on which
they made their fabulous profits.
The basic theory under which con-
sumers' co-operatives operate is
really quite simple. It simply seeks
to place the consumer in a position
where he may profit from produc-
tive enterprise rather than allowing
private individuals or capitalists to
profit.
For example, the consumers
through organization and co-opera-
ton buy their necessities through
their own stores which in turn buy
from other cooperative associations
when possible. The money earned
by the store in its operation instead
of being profits as it would be in
private enterprise becomes patron
age dividends in a consumers CO.
operative which means simply the
money returned to the members as
savings realized from group buying.
This, however, does not give a
complete picture of the cooperative
movement. It does not begin and
end with a saving for the member
ship but goes beyond that to social
and economic reform and betterment.
A simple illustration is the change
in merchandising practices alone.
Private industry seeks to sell a prod
uct for profit and profit is the sole
measure of success whether it is in
a newspaper business or a meat
packing plant. The cooperative
movement seeks to satisfy the needs
and desires of it's members, keeping
in mind the axiom, "The best product
for the best price" Under the latter
system there is no sales promotion,
high pressure selling, 0 misleading
and dishonest advertising. Under
cooperation these things are seen for
what they are, social and economic
wastes which are Immediately abol-
ished.
Progressing from these elementary
practices of honest dealing, the CO.
operative movement goes further to
bring its members security, health
and comfort. Security through in
surance, savings and loans; health
through medical examinations and
care and comfort through obtaining
the best that modern science and art
has produced for its membership at
prices based on the costs of produc-
ton and not on the costs of high
pressure selling, wasteful advertising
and installment selling with its
usurious interest.
The local cooperative organization
plans to carry on their business
strictly in accordance with co-opera-
tive principles and to expand their
facilities only as facilities permit.
In other words, the growth of the
movement depends on you and your
willingness to make it "Your Coop
erative." Those interested may join
by signing an application at he store,
All East Park ST., or at the office,
81 East Quartz.