INTEODUCTION 13 



The co-operative scheme of granting loans, introduced by 

 these Prussian " Landschaften," soon spread to other countries, 

 to the Baltic provinces in 1802-3, to Slesvig and Holstein in 

 1811, Mecklenburg, 1 81 8, Posen, 1 822, Poland, 1 825, etc. They 

 have been the model on which the Danish Credit Associations 

 have been formed. 



THE FIRST ENGLISH CO-OPERATIVE DISTRIBUTIVE SOCIETIES 



In England, too, we can trace in the eighteenth century 

 the first beginnings of modern co-operation, especially the, fore- 

 runners for the Co-operative Distributive Societies. Although 

 the English " Co-op. stores *' draw by far the majority of their 

 members from the working classes in the towns, they have 

 nevertheless had a great influence on the Danish co-operative 

 stores, which are chiefly supported by the rural population. 

 A short account of the first Enghsh Co-operative Distributive 

 Societies and their forerunners may appropriately find a place 

 here. 



The latter half of the eighteenth century was a period 

 during which Enghsh industry attained to great prosperity, 

 when many inventions in machinery transferred production 

 from the home to the factory, but when nevertheless employ- 

 ment was uncertain, working hours were long and wages low, 

 and the conditions under which factory operatives lived were 

 often very sad and hopeless. The distribution of the necessaries 

 of life among them was ill-organised, adulteration was rife, 

 and the profits of middlemen were excessive. Working men, 

 therefore, attempted, with the assistance of a number of 

 philanthropists, to improve their condition by the introduction 

 of a system of co-operative purchase. 



As early as 1769 some weavers in Fenwick, south of 

 Glasgow, combined for the purpose of buying certain goods, 

 chiefly oatmeal. A similar attempt was made in 1777 by 

 the weavers of Govan, near Glasgow, who formed a society 

 which still existed in 1909 but refused to associate itself 

 with the modern Scottish co-operative stores. At Mongewell 

 in Oxfordshire a society was formed in 1794, which is sometimes, 

 but incorrectly, spoken of as the first co-operative store ; it 



