"It is a very democratic plan; anybody is welcome to join it; every
member has one vote and no more, they elect their directors, the
directors elect the managers, and the managers employ the clerks.
They sell at the market prices and every three or six months take
account of stock and rebate the profits in proportion to each
member's purchases, with half rate to non-members.
"It appeals to the economical sense of the ordinary housekeeper, and
to the ethical sense of those who want no advantage of their
neighbor. It prevents some from getting unduly rich and it helps to
keep many from being unduly poor.
"The same principle has spread into farmer's work, especially
Creameries. In Cooperative Creameries and Stores Russia has grown
faster in the last 15 years than any other country, having at last
reports over thirteen million members. This orderly getting together
for common social needs has much to do with the orderliness of the
Russian Revolution.
"The United States has made large progress in producers' cooperative
associations, but not much in stores.
"I have in New Orleans a system of 65 stores on a modified system;
it is a cooperative association but we sell at as low prices as can
be afforded, for cash in hand. The sales amount to about 2 1/2
millions, the most of it in the winter. The Association owns a
Bakery, a Creamery, Condiment Factory; and Coffee Factory, and a
1550-acre plantation. We are able to undersell the market about 20%.
"People anywhere can make a cooperative store if they take it
seriously. There should be about 200 members and $2000 in cash to
start with: then get an honest and intelligent manager; start with a
grocery, buy and sell for cash, either on the Rochdale plan of
selling at full market prices and dividing the profits periodically,
or on my plan of selling as cheaply as can be afforded. In either
plan it works out into producing a large part of the goods sold,
thus eliminating entirely the superfluous middleman.
"Three acres and Liberty is the correct way of producing a living;
with the adjunct of a cooperative store to do the selling of the
surplus produced and the buying of goods needed, the small farmer is
free from all the waste and trammels of trade."
Now what's the matter with your helping your county and country and
humanity by organizing those two hundred waiting buyers in your own
town? You can be the "honest and intelligent manager" at a decent
salary. If, later, the cooperators want another manager, why you can
easily organize another store. The best information on this subject
is the Cooperative News, Manchester, England; subscription two
dollars.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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