18 CO-OPERATION IN DANISH AGEICULTUR 



employing their own ships for the transport of goods, doing 

 business of almost all kinds, having their own mills, slaughter- 

 houses, bakeries, factories for the production of boots, clothing, 

 tobacco, etc., their own bank, printing plant, their own monthly 

 paper, their own tea plantation in Ceylon, etc., etc. The turn- 

 over in 1915 was £48,000,000, with a surplus of £1,087,000. 



The •' Co-op. Stores " in Great Britain find 90 per cent, of 

 their members among the working classes, mostly among the 

 skilled artisans in mills and mines and railways, and the leaders 

 of the movement are almost exclusively drawn from these 

 classes. The movement has had and still has a great influence 

 in raising members both economically and intellectually, and 

 it has had a considerable effect on social development in other 

 European countries. 



THE SCHULZE-DELITZSCH AND THE RAIFFEISEN CREDIT 

 SOCIETIES 



Although these German co-operative credit societies have 

 only been imitated in Denmark quite lately (1915) they deserve 

 mention, as they have played an important part in the early 

 co-operative development in other countries. 



Hermann Schulze (1808-1883) was a magistrate in the 

 small town of Delitzsch in Prussian Baxony. He had great 

 sympathy with the labouring classes and the small dealers 

 and artisans, was familiar with the co-operative movement in 

 England, and had, as the result of his studies m economics, 

 arrived at the conclusion, that neither the mediaeval system 

 of Guilds nor the modern sociahstic theories could elevate 

 these classes ; but that, with some assistance, they could help 

 themselves by voluntary mutual aid and by securing a working 

 capital on a sound business basis. At his instigation half a 

 hundred small shoemakers combined in 1849 for the purpose 

 of buying wholesale leather, which was afterwards distributed 

 in smaller quantities to the individual partners, who were 

 jointly responsible for the payment. A similar arrangement 

 was made by joiners. The following year Schulze formed in 

 Delitzsch a new society of 100 artisans, a credit society which 

 granted loans at 5 to 10 per cent, interest to the members. 



