Show OLD COUNTRY OPERATION cooperation CO THE operative cooperative co opera ive movement in great britain hits has steadily advanced on the road of success ever since it was advocated and projected by thomas hughes george J holyoake and their associates the various societies now number more than a million members and the capital invested exceeds the sales last year were upwards of and the profits about the presiding officer at the recent co operative cooperative congress in glasgow lord roseberry seberry Bo in his annual address stated that in the past quarter of a century the societies had transacted a business aggregating two thousand millions of dollars bringing profits not less than two hundred millions these societies are entirely cooperative and do riot not include those trading stores w which sell to everybody and are called operative cooperative co the really operative cooperative co institutions are for the benefit of the members who receive the profits of their own purchases capital only receives its market value it is hired at so much per cent the profits are distributed tri buted to the members who are the traders labor is paid wages as capital is paid rent this however has been somewhat changed of late in some of the operative cooperative co societies the workers for the institution are interested in its success and have a share in the profits this with the principle of profit sharing by the pu purchasing dg members is true cooperation the multiplication of shareholders in a joint stock association does not materially change its character A of a thousand is no iki different to a of tw two 0 or three except that the thousand will be induced to buy of the establishment lish ment in which they are mutually interested it is merely an extension or of the partnership principle it is if a step in the right direction tion of course and if conducted on business principles is highly beneficial an institution which merely gives a portion of its profits to purchasers and gives the greater proportion to the capitalists who invest their money for the purpose of getting dividends is not a co opera tive institution in the fullest sense it still maintains the majesty of capital and its object is ia to make for capital big profits out of purchasers this thiais is better than an individual business however because the buy ing public get some returns from their purchases co operation cooperation as projected project eJ by those who gave to it in england its name and practical being is an identity s of interests between the buyers and the sellers or rather the ers buy of themselves paying persons to handle the goods and giving t the he market rate of interest for capi tal invested while taking for themselves e ea ves the whole of the profits and as now perfected where it fully prevails prevail ti the buyers and the handlers of the goods operate cooperate co all AH members who are the purchasers and the workers share in the profits capital only gets its fixed interest prices if high bring big dividends if low give cheap goods and small dividends the is about the same consumers cooperate for mutual benefit and obtain the profits 04 on their own purchases that is the principle of real operation cooperation co as carried out in the old country it has been successful from the beginning 19 |