PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1906, 21 August 1890, Page 39

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Go-operation. Having written of (1) trades unions, (2) trust?, syndicates, pools, combines, &c, and of (3) participation in profits, it now remains for me to write a few words on co-operation, and I shall divide my short paper into two parts (1) Co-operation in Distribution— or, as Mr Walker, an American professor, prefers to call it, Consumptive Co-operation — and Productive Co-operation, the first referring to tbe buying and distribution of goods, and the second to the manufacture or production of goods :— THE BOOHDALE 00-OPEBATIVE SOCIETY is about the best example of a distributive society, and though I'll give an outline of its foundation and work, I daresay that many of my readers from Lancashire can give a better one ; so if any Lancashire friend cares to send me anything interesting on the subject, I shall be glad to make use of it. In 1844 times were very bad in Rochdale. There were 7000 weavers out of work, and a flannel weaver fortunate enough to have work " could not by all his exertions and patienoe obtain more than 4s to 6s a week." This was the year that the " Famouß Twenty-eight Pionearß " met, and with their weekly twopences and threepences founded the insignificant little "Toad Lane Store." One of the 28 was a genial goahead Quaker, who .had a friend or two willing to give the little society help if it were needed. More than onoe, after committee meetings, whenoppoßitionseemedstrongenough to! orush them, Mr Smithies, somewhere about midnight, would knock up one of these friends and say, " I have come for thy brass, lad. We mun have it." And have it he did when it was needed, for who is there who won't trust a Quaker? Twenty years after a similar society was started in Oldham, and under difficulties just as great. When the meeting was bald to discuss tho advisability of clubbing together, someone suggested that a levy of 3d a week should be made until the society should be in funds. "Do you take us to be Rofchschilds ?" said one. Pluck and perseverance in this case, as at Roohdale, carried the day, and no wonder, if they were all aB enthusiastic as one woman who pawned her petticoat to pay her < two penny subscription. But lam forgetting Rochdale The pioneers managed to scrape

together £28. In 1854, 10 years after, the members had inoreased to 900, funds to £7000, business to £33,000, and profits to £1700. In 1 1876 tha members numbered 8892, the funds [ were £254,000, bueiness £305 000, and profits were over £50,000 ; laßt year the profits were £34,000, and the little Toad Lane store is now displaced by a pile of buildings it will take an hour to go through. This society is an admirable one to encourage people to save. The best goods are supplied at market prices for cash. Every three months or half-year stook is taken and profits calculated. Purchasers then get a disoount allotted to them. If purchasers choosa they can lot the discounts accumulate until £5 have been saved to buy a share, which yields 5 per cent, interest, and entitles the bolder (0 a vote and to numerous privileges. After a £5 share is bought the interest on the £5 and the future quarterly discounts can be, and generally are, put into the Cooperative Savings Banks to aooumulate at compound interest. In this way some workmen without effort have obtained bank accounts of hundreds of pounds. In oonneotion with the central store there is a vast library, with a permanent librarian, and a reading room well supplied with daily and weekly newspapers, periodicals, reviews, &c ; telescopes, mioroscopes, and field glasses are kept for the use of members, and there are science olasseß for old and young. Theso educational advantages are all supplied by a portion of the profits set apart for the purpose. The Go operators have also built a large sooial hall in which the members bave concerts and other entertainments. THB OI.DHAM 00-OPEBATIVB ASSOCIATION, which I have incidentally referred to, commenced with £78 oapital ; now the capital iB £110,000. and about £350,000 a year passes through its tills. Last year 3s in the pound on purohaseß was returned to shareholders and 2s lOd to non-shareholders, This society consumes one-fifth of the cotton of Lancashire, and owns one-third of tbe cotton spindles. Not long an Oldhamite said to a visitor: " We've nothing in Oldham but work and dividends. Socialists cannot get a footing here " —referring to tbe faot that Socialists oan easily Sersuade the starving masses, such as the ockers, but are not listened to by those who are fairly well off. Now why is it that the co-operative societies are bo successful ? How is it they can give 20s worth of goods for 17s or 18s, besides the advantages I bave mentioned ? I think the following are the prinoipal reasons : — 1. They buy for cash in large quantities. 2. They buy direct from the manufacturer, and get rid of the middlemen that prey to a large extent upon the workers. 3. They keep nothing but the best of goods, and give just weight, 4. They sell for caih, and therefore have no bad debts. 5. They do not require pretentious buildings, nor do they need to pay high rentals for good stands. ■6. Money is not spent in show and glitter. Good goods and honest weight at market prices with the right to have a share of the profits, ate sufSoieut inducements. I think these are the main reasons, and I wonder that the farmers and townspeople of Australia and New Zealand don't combine and buy goods in a similar manner to a greater extent than they do. There are farmers' associations at Timaru and in Ohristohuroh run on co-operative principles, and they are both doing Bplendidly. Perhaps you ladß reading this will be set thinking by what I have written ; if so, a few years will Bee oo- operation in distribution oarried out more largely than at present. Tbe co-operative movement has spread so rapidly in Britain in the last 10 or 12 years that there are now 1500 co-operative societies, with £21,000,000 capital, and employing 1,000,000 workers. I wonder what William Smithies, whose laugh was like a festival, and William Oooper, with the Danish face and Viking blood, would say if they were now alive and saw tbe strides co-operation has made ? I do not think I can conolude this part of my article better than by giving a quotation on co-operation, copied from a work by George Jacob Holyoake:— "It touches no man's fortune, it seeks no plunder, it causes no disturbance in society, it gives no trouble to statesmen, it enters into no seoret associations, it needs.no trades unions to proteot its interest, it contemplates no violence, it subverts no order, it envies no dignity, it keeps no terms with the idle, and it will break no faith with the industrious. It is neither mendicant, servile, nor offensive. It baa its band in no man's pocket, and does not mean that any hand shall remain long or oomfortably in its own ; it means self-help, self-dependence, and Bucb share of the common competence as labour shall earn or thought oan win. All this it intends to have, but by means whioh shall leave every other person an equal chance of the same good." I find I must leave Productive 00-operation until next week, foe with one of tbe letters I bave received I will occupy more space this week than our indulgent editor can afford. Dbab Patbh,— Thank you very muoh for your reply to my question. X was greatly interested in yonr letter, as the labour question' has been the ohief topic of conversation in our district, ri well as in our house when any friends oalled, for many months past. At jour r* quest I write the following :— BKNKFITS OF UNIONS. Unionism does a great deal of good so long as the unionists do not go too far and abuse the power which they have acquired. Unionism has done a great deal for the labouring classes by raising their wages, shortening the hours of emplo;- menfc, and by making their situation secure even against the will of their masters. Unionism protecto the life, health, and the oomfort of the workmen. The workshops have been improved and provided with every convenience which could benefit the workmen, and every precaution is taken to guard against acoidents, and the' homes, too, of the workmen have been improved in consequence. The evil of unionism is brought about by abusing its power It limits the supplies and interferes with the liberties of individuals. It restricts labour, prevents the investment of oapital, and brings great hardship and suffering on the mass of the people. It also hinders our export trade, and although it benefits a few. it is a great drawback to the working classes aB a whole, who are left in poverty, while the few are surrounded by every luxury. If you are travelling along any of our country roads, you will meet great numbers of poverty stricken men who are forced to beg their bread, as they cannot find work anywhere, and I attribute this in a great measure to the unions. Unionism has raised the price of all articles of commerce. It limits the demaud for labour by exorbitant demands, and so one half of the working classes are continual ly out of work and in extreme poverty, while the others can supply themselves with almost anything they wish. Unionism oan only do a certain amount of good to the workmen, and if they demand more than their employers can give they will greatly interfere with the progress of the oouutry. Participating in the profits would be very fair and just if it could be managed properly, but I do not think there is any likelihood of this happening, as each party is continually striving to secure an advantage over the other and get more than bis fair share of the profits. Ido nob think " cooperation " would succeed, as it requires large sums of monay. and labourers have not the capital required, arid those who have money do not require to work, and if a non-capitalist aud a'OHpithliit joined together the capitalist would have all the responsibility and very little security, while the other would want a large share of the profits.— l am, &0., A Schoolboy. July 22. P. S.— Dear Pater. I heard a discussion the other day on manhood suffrage, and to that cause was attributed tho whoinof the discontent among the workIng classes, as unprincipled plaoe-seeking men with- *

out auy itake In" the country, to use the colonial term! "carpet baggers," are returned to P»rHamene and during the time of election promise great things to the masses. Would you kindly give us your views in some of your future articles on this subject.— lours I &0 . t J Sohoolbot.^ In the cases I gave a fortnight ago P"* 5 ™- pation answered very well, and scores of oUwmi have been equally successful. Next week, all being well, I'll give an instance or two of successful cooperation. In a week or two 1 11 wnta what I think on Manhood Suffrage.-PATER