THE CO-OPERATIVE DELEGATES.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVIX, Issue 2928, 18 September 1896, Page 2

THE CO-OPERATIVE DELEGATES.

Some Interesting Facts Concerning a Mammoth Concern. Messrs Joseph Clay, William Stokes and Ren. Jones, the co-operative delegates, who have been recently touring Australia, arrived in Wellington from Sydney by the a.a. Tekapo last night. The two first named gentlemen are directors, and Mr Jones is manager of the Loudon branch of tho Co - operative Wholesale Society of England and Wales. This colossal institution has attained such dimensions that the delegates practically represent the whole of tho co - operative movement of Great Britain. They arrived in Adelaide in July last, spent a fortnight there, three weeks in Victoria, a fortnight in Now South Wales, and a similar period in Queensland. Tho delegates were handsomely entertained by the various Governments, contrary to expectations, they having intended travelling round like ordinary business people. A mass of information on the subject of their mission was obtained in the various centres, and their trip has proved a most satisfactory one in every respect. They speak in high terms of the way they have been received, and of tbo great prominence given to tho subject of co-operation by the Australian press.

THE OBJECT OF THE VISIT is to enquire into tho possibility of receiving from the Australasian colonies supplies of butter, cheese and bacon, green and dried fruits, leather, tallow, sugar, wheat and meat, including frozen rabbits. The delegates have satisfied themselves that the possibilities of opening up a large colonial trade is.very great, and that on their return to London tho directors will take stops to inaugurate direct business relations with the numerous producers that the delegates have interviewed and made provisional arrangements with. “ Tho immediate object of the Co-operative Wholesale Society,” remarked Mr Jones in a chat with a New Zealand Times representative, “is to dispense with the services of all unnecessary and profit-making agents between the consumers of commodities and their producers, and thus to economise tho cost of living, and at tho same time to remove all temptations to adulteration, and all other forms of cheating. The Society either manufactures tho goods which it sells, or purchases them direct from tho producers or importers. Its business is now far away in excess of any private concern, supplying upwards of 030,000 members of co-operative stores ; tho value of its sales exceeding ten millions sterling per annum, all of which goods are handed to the members ot retail stores, subject only to bare working expenses, and a still further say;ng is effected, and. further purity of commodity secured, when the individual and joint stock manufacturer can bo dispensed with, together with the use of their capital. “ Tfio Co-operative Wholesale have established clothing factories at Leeds and Broughton, cabinotmaking at Broughton, a corn mill at Dunston, a woollen mill at Batley, a cocoa works at London, a printing works at Manchester, as well as establishments in various parts for the production of boots, soap, biscuits and sw-eofcs, preserves and brushes, and every membpr.of a partnership store may, therefore, in a trading sense, call himself a manufacturer of afl those, articles. A larger demand and increased capital will enable the. Society fp extend and cheapen the production, of those comma* dities, and also to, embark in now directions. Another department of the Society is a bank, and every of a store is, therefore, in a’ sense banker.”’

THB J’ROFtTfi O*' THK SOCIETY. Or* this subject tho delegate said: “Tlio sitmfio object, of all competitive traders—landlords, farmers, manufacturers, importers, wholesale and retail dealers—is to secure the largest possible amount of saving or profit for themselves ; whilst tho object of the Cooperative Wholesale is, on tho contrary, to, secure tho largest amount of saving fojj.itfi customers, tho retail stores, and, tivrough them, for tho actual consumers or produce. Tho landlord takes the, largest rout ho can get for his dr in other words, appropriates tho first fruits of the combined efforts of the farmer and tho labourer only ho takes his share in money instead of wheat or other produce ; then the farmer, after keeping sufficient for seo.d purposes*, takes tho highest price ho, can screw out of the miller or tho merchant for tho remainder. Consequently hy tho time tho general consumer is reached tho article is either very much raised in price or depreciated W quality through adulteration. Haying-, in' mind all these facts, tho advjutffcgog of cooperation are perfectly ohvjp.na,' “ With rsgard to finance, the Cooperative. Wholesale has 103& retail stores, which hold among share capital to tho amount rj in proportion to the number of its members. In reserves ’(including bank) there ip a total of over X70.0u0; and an iusurauoe fund of .£300,000, Tho stability o£ Its resources is evidenced by fact, that about .£500,000 is invested m.nnioipal securities, and X2o(\(mO, in, consols. Tho direct import* year- totalled «£2,574,696, to which, Zealand contributed .£4590 \voith' vessels are owned by the So.o\Qty,' ana- more, are required. The total 'efipitaj employed in tho various produe, amounts to about .£OOO,OOO • the vaKwof goods produced is X 1,000,000 perannum, and the number of 6400. ’

In 1873 the nucleus of sp, inauranoe fund was formed by traurfeiring £2OOO from the reserve fund. Hfh,e' Sooiety insures its own steamship.*, 'as well as a proportion of its various'buildings, fixtures, stock, &0., and goods in transit. Notwithstanding losses, Ik® fund had accumulated to -£292,503. Vi’o, fv'lvo any quantity of money, more thou, know what to do with. We Vfpnlj. to, spend it in produce.

“ fjOi TA& Ah JfEW WiAtAND is otmooyqed; th,e Co-.oporative Wholesale has had business relations with a number of pro-, du'o.erq kero for some years past, and the deputation believes operations wiU bo greatly increased as a result of thoir visit. The article wo have had mostly is butter, but only to a small extent. Wo do not know, so far, what facilities the Colony possesses fqr the production of butter as entftpared with the Australian colonies, but wq da know this: that the Australian colonies are in a magnificent position for taking possession of tho British market whenever they chose to increase tho area qf ground devoted to dairy farming and increase the production of their butt® for- export. There is no doubt whataw- of' their superior capacity ypep Danmark, Sweden and Ger. n\any, t‘% nn extremely profitable rate to themselves, and it will be thoir own fault if they don't oust tho Danes and. thoir Baltic; brethren.

Tho Society sells annually butte*, to the value of £2,500,000; bacon, three-quarters of a millicn sterling. The, weekly sales of soap total 1000 tons. It* slj,op. manufactories employ 3000 hand*, Tko largest ia at Leicester, and is said by. Australians who have been in the Sfat.ea and other portions of the globe to bo the best equipped and tho largest of its kind iu existence. Tho Society has not hiti'.frfco dealt in fresh moats, but the deputation propose, on their return, fo recommend tho director* to, institute a department _ for the, sale of such poods. As the Society represents somewhere about one-aeveuth of tho consuming population of England and Wales, and as this number have. i fn the past consumed very little fror.ou beef or- mutton, it will readily bo seen that a largo field for tho extension in the. ronpumpfion of these articles will be afTojniocl, by tho society forming a department to, prompt? the soie amongst its members,” The dopuiatiop,havo.no, power- to transact aQt-.val, business. ' Tbpi* functions are ox- , clusiyoly.'of an inyo&tigatiug character, and jit will bo for the, directors to decide, after : receiving thpiv report, what future steps j shall Ifi. taken. I Tho delegates put up at the Eoyal Oak Hotel, and at the invitation of the Hon R, .f. Seddon, will visit Parliament Ifoixso. this morning, when a decision will \-n, arrived at as to what centres will b,q visited during the brief period at thoir disposal. It is intended to visit both tt,o, South. an,d North Islands, and, if passible, to, take, a special coach through thp. Hot Dak®, district to Waikato, and from thence to. Auckland, where they will catch, the filono wai to San Francisco.