568 INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTIONS. 



1883 1894 1895 



Number of Societies 15 120 155 



Sales for the Year 160,751 1,371,424 1,859,876 



Capital (Share Reserve and 



Loan) 103,436 799,460 915,302 



Profits 9,031 68,987 94,305 



Losses , 114 3,135 2,296 



Profit to Labour 8,751 14,235 



The increase for the year is thus 29 per cent, in the number of* 

 societies, nearly 36 per cent, in the value of sales, over 14 per cent, in 

 the capital, and nearly 40 per cent, in the net profits, and 62 per cent, 

 in profit to labour, respectively. Thus the rate of growth all round is 

 very much greater than in 1894. In that year we considered it might 

 be called a 10 per cent, increase all round ; this year we can not call it 

 less than a 30 per cent, increase. 



That believers and disbelievers habitually take widely diver 

 gent views of evidence, is a familiar experience. Perhaps 

 the incongruity between the groups of statements above 

 given might in large measure disappear if the ages of the 

 bodies just enumerated were set down. Possibly there is a 

 continual dying out of older societies, along with rise of 

 newer ones which are more numerous. 



Apparently, however, there is more reason to accept the 

 unfavourable interpretation of the evidence than the favour 

 able interpretation; since both a priori and a posteriori it is 

 manifest that destructive causes, hard to withstand, are ever 

 at work. To secure business-management adequately intel 

 ligent and honest, is a chronic difficulty. Even supposing 

 external transactions to be well and equitably conducted, 

 adverse criticisms upon them are almost certain to be made 

 by some of the members: perhaps leading to change of 

 management. Then come the difficulties of preserving 

 internal harmony. In cooperative workshops the members 

 receive weekly wages at trade-union rates, and are ranked as 

 higher or lower by the foreman. Officials are paid at better 

 rates according to their values and responsibilities, and these 

 rates are fixed by the committee. When the profits have 

 been ascertained, they are divided among all in proportion 



