608 



APPENDIX. 



societies own halls, which are used for such purposes. Purchases and sales are 

 made for cash only, thus inculcating a spirit of thrift. The educational work 

 is yearly becoming more prominent, and cooperation among all classes is pro- 

 moted in the true missionary spirit. The cooperative movement in Gi-eat 

 Britain has developed a body of wonderful men, practically all of whom are 

 individually poor, and yet carrying on with great ability, and constantly 

 extending business enterprises involving the wise employment of great sums of 

 money, and the organization and direction of a great force of employees. The 

 English Wholesale Society is the largest strictly mercantile business in the 

 world. There is only space here for a very brief statistical summary, con- 

 densed from the report of the Thirtieth Annual Cooperative Congress of Great 

 Britain (1898), which is a volume of 286 large quarto pages. The pounds 

 sterling may be roughly turned into United States money by multiplying by 

 five. 



///. DISTRIBUTIVE {RETAIL) SOCIETIES. 



THE POSITION OF COOPERATION IN GREAT BRITAIN, 1898. 



1. General Statistics. 



The following table will show the advance made by distributive cooperation 

 in recent years: — 



Under this head are included the numerous Irish Agricultural and Dairy Societies, 



