CO-OPERATION 115 



would have a dealer to deal with whom they might implicitly trust. 

 And they would have laid a good solid foundation for all other 

 co-operation. 



However, in England, at any rate, where there is no serious 

 gombeening to contend against, the matter has a rather different 

 aspect ; and even though the direct cash-saving effect of distributive 

 co-operation should be weakened by reducing the original selling 

 price of goods below the accepted shop rate, so as to do away with 

 the " profits," quite enough inducement to thrift would still remain, 

 and so would the guarantee of quality. The mere elimination of 

 shop credit in itself would make for thrift and business habits ; but 

 apart from that, in truth it has been found that the " high dividend " 

 system — which works admirably among the " well-paid artisans " 

 who, according to the testimony of the late General Secretary of 

 the Co-operative Union, J. C. Gray, make up the body of the co- 

 operative host — leaves the poor (for whose benefit the co-operative 

 movement was really chiefly intended) out very much in the cold. 

 The " Women's Guild," operating with women's hearts, in Sunder- 

 land and elsewhere, on the opposite lines, taking a safe portion of 

 the " overplus " off the price at the start, and offering goods of the 

 kind that poor people desire, of genuine quality, in small quantities, 

 at the very lowest possible price, might not, indeed, have produced 

 commercially quite as showy results as the splendid emporia of the 

 well-to-do artisan class can boast. But it brought real relief into 

 a goodly area of humble quarters and undoubtedly did real 

 " co-operative" work. 



Our experience in the Agricultural Organisation Society has 

 shown that co-operative distribution is distinctly acceptable to the 

 agricultural public. Even well-to-do farmers knew how to value 

 a co-operative supply of good and cheap wares — beyond the mere 

 requisites of their vocational business. My chief motive, when 

 pioneering the friendly relations happily established for a time 

 between the Co-operative Union and the Agricultural Organisation 

 Society, was, to provide a ready market for our agricultural produce. 

 However, before very long it was found that our agricultural 

 co-operative societies or their members had bought much more 

 from the Co-operative Wholesale Society, and other co-operative 

 distributive societies, than they had sold to them. 



For the substantial farmers dealing with co-operative stores 



constituted a convenience. But for the humbler class of country 



dwellers it may be said to represent a precious boon. Think of 



the benefits likely to accrue from it to our rural plebs ! For co- 



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