CONSUMERS’ CO-OPERATIVE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 34, 28 May 1947, Page 3

CONSUMERS’ CO-OPERATIVE

A YEAR OF PROGRESS The following are extracts from the annual report of the National Executive to the 1947 Conference of the Federation of Co-operatives, recently held in Wellington. They show a year of steady progress and prove that the Consumer Co-opera-tives are here to stay. During the year eight new Societies have commenced to trade and four groups have registered in anticipation of finding suitable business premises. Comparative figures are as follows:

Turnover £465,200 £652,000 £186,800 Apart from these six new groups have been formed and activities have commenced in five other centres, including Whakatane. The latter has reached the stage where the State Tenants Petition is being circulated and applications for membership and share capital being solicited. A course on the Co-operative Movement has been written for the Adult Education Department and will be studied by students throughout New Zealand. The objective of £IOOO was fixed to finance the Federation and this amount was raised. An acknowledgment is made of a donation of £IOO from the National Dairy Association, N.Z. Ltd., who are the New Zealand agents for the C.W.S. England. The report ends on a vote of appeal to the farmers in these words: “Then there are our friends, the farmers. They have achieved great success through Co-operative Organisations in the field of processing and distribution of dairy products. Their benefits will be double if they adventure with us into the field of Consumers’ Co-operation. Moreover, any Consumer Co-operative Movement in this country that neglects to seek common ground with the farmer, will never be national in character.”

The report is signed, for and on behalf of the National Executive of the Federation of Co-operatives by Mr A. R. Syder, President, Palmerston North.

MayApril InNo. Trading Societies 1946 1947 crease 22 29 7 Total No. Shops 38 57 19 Total Membership Annual 7582 11396 3841