CO-OPERATIVE SYSTEM

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 87, 9 October 1935, Page 5

CO-OPERATIVE SYSTEM

NEW BUSINESS METHODS

ADDRESSES AT LOWER HUTT

Under the auspices of the New Zealand Industrial Co-operative Society two addresses on - co-operation were delivered last evening in the King George Concert Hall, Lower Hutt. The Mayor (Mr. J. W. Andrews) was in the chair. Miss E. Huntington, assistant secretary of the New Zealand: Co-operative Alliance, spoke on "How Women Rule the World." Miss Huntington modified the well-known saying by stating that today "the hand that- carries the basket rules the world." Women as the chief purchasers of the world's products were the rulers of. the world. Whenever fashion changed the whole manufacturing . world .was affected. Therefore women should realise they had great power and use it wisely. There were, say, 1000 homes in Lower Hutt and on a low average that meant that women had £2000 to spend weekly, and the question was-whether that was being spent to keep up the present capitalistic system ,or whether' they were helping themselves -arid each other by spending it in s the co-opera-tive way. . Those -in ■ the co-operative movement were, out to give ' a '"better method of doing'business which led to (equality and justice. ■■■'•■ NOT AN EMPTY DREAM. The movement was .not an empty, idle dream. In .1844 28 people met in Rochdale to: pioneer the movement; today there were 7,175,000 members of the society, which owned factories and plantations. , The. effect on the individuals was that members owned their own houses and many had. been able to pay their passages to this Dominion out of their savings. The'movement had spread all over the' world. The result of In.- ' movement in Runanga was that nearly,every home was carpeted and agents ; of' vacuum cleaners said there was no place in New Zealand where, in proportion so many were owned. Women had played a great part in the movement. In 1883 seven women formed a guild and in 1933 there were 74,000. The women's guilds had been responsible for organising ■ the "more milk for' children" campaign which had been successful in England. When New Zealand became a co-operative commonwealth we would have a land secure in justice and equality. A GREAT PARADOX. Mr._K. J. Holyoake, M.P. for Motueka, said that New Zealand had not yet fully grasped the value of the movement, possibly because the pioneers were great individualists. Today it was recognisec that ho man could live unto, himself.' The great paradox was seen today of a country taxing itself to keep producing an article it was not fitted to produce, while there was an overplus of the article in other countries. Competition was said to be the life of trade but eventually it was the death of the trader. Forty years ago the Commercial Trusts Act was brought in to prevent monopolies raising prices while today the Act had to be used to prevent undercutting. .''.'''■ The first co-operative organisation was at Rochdale,-and the movement there emphasised human value—one man, one vote—recognised women as having "rights," and treated them as equals; limited interest on capital to 5 per cent.,.and paid back the surplus as a refund on purchases. The speaker dealt; with the

folly of the destruction of food while so many were in need. I GROWTH OF MOVEMENT. The movement begun in 1844.with a turnover of £420 had grown till in 1933 there were 7,000,000 members witli a total sales of £320,000,000, and a capital of £250,000,000. The staff numbered over 270,000, and the wages bill was £34,000,000. The surplus was approximately £30,000,000. It had its own bank, about 150 factories, and plantations in India and Ceylon. At the present time the 7,000,000 British consumers were buying £3,000,000 worth of New' Zealand produce and could be persuaded to buy much more. The movement had * made great strides in Denmark, where its application to the dairy industry had saved the country,' and'in Sweden- -and Russia. . • . . . Mr. Holyoake ■ said he was closely associated with the fruit.industry, and here co-operation had been of the utmost service; He wished the movement in Lower Hutt every success.

Votes.of thanks were accorded the speakers . and the chairman.