CO-OPERATIVE DISTRIBUTIVE SOCIETIES 27 



An official statistical publication i gives the number of 

 Co-operative Distributive Societies in Denmark in 1914 as 

 1562 with 244,000 members, which means that every eleventh 

 inhabitant in the country is a member (as compared with every 

 fifteenth in England and every twenty-ninth in Germany). 

 The collective turn-over was £5,715,000, with a surplus of 

 6 '2 per cent, of the turnover. Of the societies 1187 dealt also 

 in corn, feeding stuffs, manures and seed ; 1470 were in rural 

 districts, 17 in Copenhagen, and 75 in provincial towns. By 

 an inquiry in 1910 the Wholesale Society found 2 that 32 per 

 cent, of the members were peasants, 41 per cent, small-holders 

 (" Husmoend "), and 27 per cent, labourers or people of their 

 class. That this co-operative movement made so little pro- 

 gress in the towns, where after 34 years only seven co-operative 

 stores existed, while it was taken up so vigorously by the rural 

 population, is only a proof among many that the rural popula- 

 tion in Denmark is more wideawake than the artisan classes 

 in the towns. This, again, is explained by the influence of the 

 People's High Schools and the Agricultural Schools, x\ll 

 these are private schools aiming at opening out the minds of 

 the young men and women in the country districts, fostering 

 love for their country, its history and language, for religion, 

 love for and understanding of their daily work, fitting them for 

 taking part in local government and national politics. Among 

 the peasant proprietors many came forward to be leaders of 

 their local " co-op. store," whereby they gained experience 

 enabling them to extend the co-operative movement over a 

 wider field and to set it ever bolder aims. No similar awaken- 

 ing and development took place in the tovv^ns, and the local 

 papers and the tradespeople naturally looked askance at the 

 " co-op. stores," and opposed them. 



Most of the existing Danish Co-operative Distributive 

 Societies have adopted the following principles : (1) Sale at 

 usual trade prices ; (2) buying and selling for cash ; (3) dividing 

 the surplus among members in proportion to their purchases ; 

 (4) joint liabiHty ; (5) membership open to everybody ; (6) 

 each member one vote ; (7) members to manage and control 



1 " Statistisk Aarbog," 1915, Tabel 114. 



• " Fseliesforeningens Aarbog," 1910, p. 134. 



