The Grey River Argus MONDAY, May 1, 1944. CO-OPERATIVES.

Grey River Argus, 1 May 1944, Page 4

The Grey River Argus MONDAY, May 1, 1944. CO-OPERATIVES.

Usually May Day is an occasion for reviewing the proletarian movement in its contental genesis. Yet it may be remarked that in Britain this movement is not only older, on account of the greater deevolpment of Capitalism in that country, but distinct in many respects from that on the Continent. There is now question of adapting the 1.L.0. to meet Soviet wishes, under purely United Nations auspices, but there is bound to remain in each country its own particular tradition. One of the most constructive aspects. of the movement in Britain has been that of the co-operatives, exemplified to-day in the great Wholesale Society, with its many branches. In this country the only workers who as yet have succeeded in this movement have been miners, the most notable instance being that at Runanga. In the Brunner district, however, there is now an endeavour to launch this form oi enterprise, and taking the neighbouring one as a criterion, its prospects should be good. It is now exactly one hundred years since the start of the Co-operative Movement. In a little Lancashire town, Rochdale, a weaving centre, amid great social suffering—the ‘ ‘ hungry forties ’ ’ —when t he Chartists demanded social reform, the poorest paid workers, the weavers, launched the movement. A strike on their part the previous yeai* saw them defeated, and under the lead of Charts Howarth, a group of workers, decided to start a little store to better their lot. The capital was only £35, and. hammering out rules, the group known as “The Pioneers,’ founded the store under the title of “The Equitable Society of Rochdale Pioneers. ’ ’ Their principles remain to this day the foundation of a world-wide cooperative movement, which has latterly made notable strides in Canada ,especially in the isolated maritime provinces, where the population of about one million has as its principal groups fishermen and farmers. There in a decade they set up not only comsumers co-ops, but credit unions, and latterly a Wholesale Co-opera-tive. • Incidentally, while credit unions may be started anywhere, it requires several consumers' groups as a basis for a wholesale co-operative. However, the people of these provinces are now establishing producers’ co-operatives enabling them to market their produce more economically. The Rochdale principles are three and besides there are three practices. The first principle is democratic control—one man one vote; the second is open membership—anyone who wishes may join; and the third principle is limited returns on capital—a low fixed interest rate, which short-circuits the profit motive. The three practices are cash trading—no business on credit (a distinct departure from Capitalism); (2) 'trade at prevailing prices (to prevent co-ops engaging in cut-throat competition and underselling against each other); and the third practice is that of reserves —-built up against a rainy day. A proportion of returns is often set aside before dividends are distributed, and in some instances funds are devoted to educating people in the principles of co-operation. In Canada, for instance, this educative factor is prominent. The Antigonish (Novia Scotia) Movement, as that in maritime Canada is called, actually began with the credit union, and to-day in the provinces of Nova Scotia. New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island there are four hundred credit unions. In one part oi (Nova Scotia alone there arc seventy consumer co-ops. Social hardship inspired the enterprise, and to-day there is the vision of a co-operative democracy. The Nova Scotia Co-operative Educational Council consists of two members each from the United Mine Workers, United Maritime Fishermen, Maritime Co-operative Services, -Nova Scotia Credit Union League, and the Extension Department. Of the population of the three provinces, threequarters come under the influence

of tlie extension movement and half are directly in touch with it. It is desirable that in view of its adaptabilit yfor working clas., communities the co-operative movement should develop in New Zealand, and evidence of its so doing is to be. welcomed.