THE MANCHESTER CO-OPERATIVE WHOLESALE SOCIETY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2203, 21 May 1896, Page 15

THE MANCHESTER CO-OPERATIVE WHOLESALE SOCIETY.

la view of tho visit about to be paid to this, colony by delegates representing the Co-opera-tive Wholesale Society of Maucheetar (Limited), some particulars concerning the opsrations of the society during the pant year will interest many readers. The one hundred and twenty-eighth quarterly meeting of the Booiety, whose head office is at Manchester, was held in that city on 14oh March, when 740 drlegatos, representing 252 retail sooiefciea and 39 visitori, were present. Branch meetings were held in London, Newca9tle-on-Tyue, and Coventry on 7th March, at which 565 delegates, represe&tfng 250 retail societies, and one visitor were prerent, or a total x>f 1305 deletes and 502 societies. The sales for 1895 were reported to- be £10141,917 and prone £192,766. The committee were authorised to purchase' additional Und at Trftlee, Ireland, and Crums&H, near Manchester ; also a freehold warehouse in London. They were al c o authorised to appoint a deputation to America in connection with the purchase of leather, the la*t three visits to America having been of considerable advantage to the society. The coranvttce also asked permission to " send a deputation to Australia, and probably New Zealand and Tasmania would also be visited for the purpose of purchasing goods direct from the producers." The chairm*n said — * We find that ouc Australian colonists are anxious to make bnsinejs arrangements with us. Australian commodities ar» being sent here at pivsent, and are placed in the hands of brokers representing the Australian farmers, and we h».7e reason to believe that our Scottish friends will join us in the enterprise." Thio permission was unanimously granted at all the. delegate meetings. At tne Manchester meeting it was stated that •• Leicester was the largest shoe manufacturing town in the world, and that 80 per .cent, of the leather uted in that town came from America, because there were not enough animals in England to yield the hides required, and America contained txteosive forests of hemlock, which wood wts used ia tanning the leather in solehig and for uppers." In addition to this English federation, the Scottish federal Wholesale Society does an annual business of nearly £4,000,000.