The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1879-01-24 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

OPERATIVE STORES.  CO-OPERATION is a question which presents a good many difficulties, but which, we believe, could yet be solved in a very simple and effective manner by the exercise of a little sound, practical common-sense. The inception of the new scheme of clerical co-operation has no doubt done more than anything that has occurred for a long time to bring odium upon the system; and the meeting in Westminster this week brought things to a head, or at all events, served to give expression to feelings which were more strongly expressed from having been long pent up. We know, of course, that the clergy are not, as a rule, millionaires, and that they must buy in the cheapest market ; but we do think that in their case the odium of dealing at a store instead of with a local trader is greater than it would be with any other class of men, in consequence of the peculiar relations subsisting between a clergyman and his parishioners. The system of huckstering in this fashion would in our opinion, detract front the dignity of the pastor; yet we cannot close our ears to the information that many of the clergy have been practising the system in the form of customers, and now propose to become shopkeepers themselves. To such of these we would say pause, before you wake a false step, or one which would alienate the sympathies of a class who have helped to build epinipor tent commercial accommodation. The letter of Canon Fleming read at the Westminster meeting is worthy of perusal, in which he embodies his views on the question as an obligation he owes to those about him. In saying this much, we must at the same time admit that it would have been very difficult to say to clergymen that they must not co-operate, or to Crown servants tha they must have nothing to do with stores, because we should by such a course interfere with free-trading in a way that is foreign to our principles. We put on one side the case of the Civil Service, because we are not dealing with the matter for the moment under a special but a general aspect. Perhaps, as some persons urge, it may be possible to find more employment for Civil Service people so that they should have no time for commeteial pursuits. But this does not go to the root of the matter, any more than it does when we paint out that the relations between the clergy and he laity complicate the question of clerical co-operation. Disencumbered of this complication the question narrows itself to this. Does it paycommercially to co-operate? Is the machinery : of stores necessary to supplement the oldfashioned shop? We do not think so. Whilst we hold that it is not advisable to kill co-operation, even if we W6EO quite sure that it could be done, we feel on the other hand that the adoption of a very simple rule by buyer and seller would cause co-operation to die a natural death; and this kind of killing would be, in such a cane, no murder, If the trader and his customer can so arrange matter a to prage in none hut ready-money transactions, co-operation woobl have no chance. It is credit, not cooperation, that needs to be killed. If the trader has capital 14, sr. to the best market and pay ready-money for what be buys; and if his customer also hands to him casts asross the counter for the articles he sells at a fair profit, co-eperation would die out naturally. That is co-operation in Lb* proper sense of the word. We do not, therefore, 61,64 Itf.gq to let co-operation die. It only wants to be ret6truval,, What is now mis-named the co-operative system ts full of objections, which do tiot hold good in reference to the ordinary trader. Fur instance) buyers must be employed by the tores, because no one man is omniscient. But the traciesedee knows all that is necessary for his own 'special trade. He has no need to depute his interests or to pay heavy commission to purchasers. This one difficulty is the type of a class. Credit is the spectre which haunts buyer amid alike, and drives the latter to the co-operative store instead of the shop. Let that be elm,cised, and the problem will disappear.