HUMBLE START

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 49, 15 February 1944, Page 6

HUMBLE START

THE CO-OPERATIVE STORE

ROCHD ALE CENT EN AllY

An interesting nation-wide radio programme was recently given in America to celebrate the centenaiy of the founding of the Rochdale Co-operative Store in Lancashire. The chief speakers on the programme were Dr James Warbass, ol New York, of the Co-operative League of the United States, and Mr I. H. Hull, president of the National Cooperative Association of the United States. Dr Warbass said: "This marks the centenary of stirring events in the vear of 1844, when 28 poor weavers in Rochdale, England, opened a little food store in their home town, These 28 people were their own patrons and they set up business to supply themselves and started with but 140 dollars. They proposed to go into manufacturing for themselves and the principles they adopted re-i quired democracy in business for a co-operative business on a firm foundation. They went through the depression years of the 'forties with increasing business while other businesses around them failed. Tliey had 50,000 patrons, and surplus savings in one year reached ,300,000 dollars. To-day, they have many more thousands of patrons and supply themselves with nearly everything they want. En 100 years now completed it is believed they have saved for themselves a total of 25,000,000 dollars. Their purchasing power has increased just as much,

and, what, is vastly more significant than lifting themselves out of poverty, they drew the people of an impoverished community < together and advanced their common interest. Example to the World They gave the Avorld an example of' saving themselves and the people, without, making profit the aim. They became the school from which radiated the new economics of working people from all of Engr land, and students from foreign lands journeyed there to study the economics of Rochdale. The Cooperative Wholesale Society was formed and has now become the greatest distributing business in the British Empire. It went, into manufacturing and now con.ducts 153 manufacturing enterprises, produc-

■ing -clothing, food, household goods and most of the things the 9,000,.000 families required under its banner. They have become big business pco- 1 pie. Other countries have surpassed England in co-operatives, such as Switzerland, Sweden and other countries, but they still maintain the position of being the largest wholesale and retail manfacturing business. World 1 -wide Movement

The most highly civilised countries are the most highly advanced in co-operative work. Every country in the world has its co-operatives. Neither war, peace, panic nor prosr perity prevents their expansion. An international co-operative alliance was formed and it has under its banner 124,000 co-operative societies i in 39 countries with 100,,000,000 customers. In the relief and reconstruction after the war co-operation will establish a sound economy on the ruins of the world's greatest disaster and 125,000,000 people in the world's co-operative societies will play an important part, as they represent more than one-third of the population of the earth. We salute the 28 weavers of Rochdale who pointed the way.

The Indiana Scheme

The president of the National Co operatives of the United. States, Mi

1. H. Hull, said: "The co-operative idea was born under circumstances as humble as the Manger of Bethle-* hem, but it has now encircled the world. Eighteen years, ago, American farmers began to use it,, and it offers a challenge to all people in need. In the State of Hndiana it is an important part in our co-opera-tive growth. There are more than 2,500,000 farm and city families now earning 700,000,000 dollars a year through their co-operatives. Co-op-erative growth has met obstruction, but .so long as self help ideas remain, attacks outside will only make it grow more."