CO-OPERATION AND CO-PARTNERSHIP

Wanganui Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 13978, 10 May 1913, Page 8

CO-OPERATION AND CO-PARTNER-SHIP

A smail but very entlinsiasric book on “t’lvoperation and Co-partnership” ha* Inna written by Nr Frank K. Piilsford. of Hviltuw. He claims that the movement is at the same time intensely idealistk- :iiui pr:iclk“iL aiul that it will bring about all the Swialists hojm for wit bon I any o) the evils Liberalism fears. He describes the different aspects of co-o|ieration and co-jiartnersiiip in various countries, and ends with an appeal lor their development irom the very small beginnings which no-.v exist in Au-.tnilia. The old objection to prohl sharing. "Will the men share lus-esr ' .Vir - f.inl meets rriimr variou'iv. One answer t ikes tu ‘ term m a -hi*ri itialogiu*. "Sir.” stivs lire- proht-sharer. ‘ whal iln vnu i -liinaie is lire- ilitfi-ienct* ia value rt .th etmlenttil workman who ptlls K.s !u*,-; ii'.tn work am! one who is without real interest in ii ? Is it -> jrer «s»nt?” "Ki-.<- |kt cent.”’ the doubter repli.- "why. i - ’* -Jit per cent.” _“\ ery well: in bad tim-.-s t!u- incn will give you that ; :tra 20 i»-r ci-nl n 1 value and get nothi- y for it. In that way they share fosses. ' Hut in another place Air Pulssoivt r marks that tu iitletilittiiig the per- « his cii’iital is to earn, the hire.- has already added a little to allow .;r ri-’i of 10-s. "Lal>o:ir,’' he says. -Vine - e.ot cause loss; whey, then, should It !oi rtbute thereto?” Quoting from an ofii ie.i report by tile British hoard of T.vdt'. hj" says:—"Kmnlovees of profit--b;:-;. firms nwv be taken, as a rule, to rec-ive. in addition to any Ixmusthey may -et. wages as high as they would be ns t'iviug were no system of profitsharif g in force.” And lie gives ia->£;tif<t-s of l(o!!iises of as much as 2s Kkl in the t. He claims that the co-operative hiovement encourages ilirni. self-help, and character, and qnalitv in workmanship; it encourages individual effort towards social s<>rvice. Germany and Denmark leml in the eo«jK v rattvc movement, but in Britain, wfkich holds thinl place, there were in UfiiH nearly 2T.199) «s>-i>|k rative sneietics. v. ith over 2.7lKM!(!ii nieinlmrs. Out here, it is. of ivmrse, in dairying that most success has been gained. There are rumbers ot co-ojii-ratin- stores in New South Wales aigl Victoria, a coojs rative wholesale society at Newcastle, ami a co-operative bank in .Mellionrne, But what we need as missionary, organiser and advist-r. is a io-o|H*r;itive union first; eo-operative housing, and retail and then wholesale dealing and manufacturing may follow.