6 BULLETIN 3&4^ U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUKE. 



XV. Summary of overhead expenses: _ 



167. Salaries and labor: (31) $4,695.93; 168. Rent: (23) $881.51; 169. 

 Light and heat: (16) .$187.14; 170. Insurance: (30) $301.81; 171. 

 Taxes: (21) $283.69; 172. Telephone and telegraph: (8) .$43.44; 

 173. Interest: (25) $587.83; 174. Postage and stationery: (5) 

 $174.89; 175. Miscellaneous (36) $5,417.29; Total: (41) $9,609.27; 

 177, Net profit for last year : (31) $5,749.33 ; 178. Net per cent profit : 



; 179. Per cent on capital, including surplus and undivided 



profits: 



XVI. Monthly salaries: 



180. President : ; 181. Secretary : ; 182. Treasurer : ; 183. 



Manager: (42) $106; 184. Bookkeeper: (27) $68.87; 185. Cashier: 



; 186. Head salesman: (31) $74.13; 187. Other salesmen. (31) 



$49.95 ; 188. Saleswomen : (26) $32.10 ; 189. Extra labor : ; 190. 



Total: 



XVII. Comments: 



191. Is the business in satisfactory condition: (32) Yes. 192, Has the 

 business been reorganized: (37) No; 193. Why: ; 194. Ex- 

 pansion planned : (30) No; 195. Educational propaganda: (30) No; 

 196. Probable future: (20) Bright^; 197. Effect on service to the 



patrons : ; 198. Effect on local commodity prices : ; 199. 



Effect on the community : ; 200. Cooperation with other mer- 

 chants : (33) No; 201. How do expenses compare with private busi- 

 ness in town: (12) Same; 202. Are employees members : (24) No; 



203. Do they share in profits : ; 204. Which employees are 



bonded: 



GENERAL ORGANIZATION. 



Owing to the fact that the enactment of cooperative laws in the 

 different States is a comparatively recent movement, a large propor- 

 tion of the stores examined were originally'' established under the 

 ordinary corporation laws. Most of them, however, are now organ- 

 ized under cooperative laws. At the time of this survey such laws 

 had been enacted by 30 States, including all of the States covered by 

 this study. Thirty-two out of 42 of the stores reporting on questions 

 14 and 15 were then organized under special cooperative laws. Those 

 which still retained the corporate form of organization adhered to 

 certain cooperative principles which were made a matter of agree- 

 ment between the members through their constitution and by-laws. 

 For example, 40 of the stores had adopted the principle of 1 man, 

 1 vote; while 5 of them adhered to the plan of voting according to 

 investment. It was noticed, however, that in the older associations 

 established under the corporate law there was a tendency for the 

 stock to pass into a few hands, and in sevei*al of these cases the. store 

 was cooperative only in name. 



An attempt was made to compile a table showing the size and 

 financial success of stores on the basis of nationality, occupation, and 



1 This is the opinion of the managers. 



