CO-OPERATIVE BUYING IN POLAND

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 253, 21 July 1919, Page 2

CO-OPERATIVE BUYING IN POLAND

SYSTEM AT WORK IN POSEN HISTORY OP A GREAT ' MOVEMENT Probably in no country in Europe hna tho co-operative movement been developed so extensively as in Posen, formerly Prussian Poland (writes the special correspondent of the "Christian Science Monitor"). Directed by ono central organisation, thoro are no fewer than 400 co-operativo societies of various kinds, with 120,000 members distributed throughout Posen, Silesia, and western and eastern Prussia. Of these, 200 aro financial institutions ivith funds aggregating between 500,000,000 ana 600,000,000 marks. Seventy aro agricultural, 15. are land societies, and the remainder ore chiefly engaged in general trading businesses. At the present tiino special arrangements f.ro being made to establish closer rekiions between all these various societies and America and England, so that the trade hitherto done .almost exclusively with Germany may })9 transferred to tihese two Allied countries. A Capable Business Head, The. director of tho wholo organisation is tho Rev. StDnislaus Adamski, a hijjlii authority on all financial and economio affairs and a most capable business organiser. Eo hiw given a representative of the "Christian Science Monitor" an account of the wonderful development of this co-ope.rative movement wnich has flourished in iihe face of. tho most deter'mined opposition on the part of the Prussian Government, which saw that the movement was strengthening and uniting tho Poles, making them financially and economically independent of Prussia. The movement began in 1872 with the establishment of financial institutions designed to protect the Poles against-usur-pers,, by lending money to members afc reasonable rates. Loans are mado to email farmers to enable them to buy additional land 6r farm machinery, to build houses aud barns, and not infrequently even to provide a dowry for their daughters. These loans are repaid in smajl instalments. -The banks also lend money to email storekeepers who are able to buy their stocks much cheaper for cash, and eo can. well afford to pay a loir rate of .interest on tho loan. The .. largest single institution is the Industry Bank in Posen, with deposits of 90,000,000 marks. Its business is chiefly with the large landowners and manufacturers, who are often glad to be able to borrow money on reasonable terms.

When the financial organisations were well started, other co-operative societies wero gradually added, princinallv in agriculture, Posen's greatest industry.. Through a central association, aided by a body of experts, all sorts of ■farming necessities, such as fodder, artificial manures, coal, and agricultural machinery and tools are bought in immense auantities at very low prices, and retailed to members at a very slightly hiriier cost. In one year, for instance, the central body bought 100,000 tons of p.onl direct from the German coal syndicate and sold it to members at prices far below what they would have to pay the coal dealers. Subdividing Large Estates, • One of the most important branches of the co-operative movement lay in the partitioning of land anaougst peasan* . Laree estates were bought up, and si divided into small holdnigs, each si. .- cientto support n family. The i of these varied from U to 25 acres; , Jordinz to the. nature and quality of e soil. From the beginning this work moved so successful- that the Prussian Government became alarmed, and took severe measures to repress it. The Poles were forbidden to erect houses or farm buildings of anv kind on these lands. All sorts of devices were adopted in the effort tc evade the law, The peasants lived it. uiosy vaus, moving these about all over their farms, but the Prussian authorities stomied this, and in tho end the situntion became so intolerable .that these land societies 'could oiily"; buy land on which, houses, were 'already built. Now that tlio Prussian yoke has been shaken off this work of dividing up big estates can bo taken up again, and can be very considerably developed. The sudden collapse of the Central Powers last November has brought about an economic revolution in Poland, as it has in most countries. The Poaen cooperative organisations will now have au opportunity of developing to a-, far L'reater extent than, ever before. The first thjue: the leartei'3 proposed to do was to cut off. as fur as possible, all business connections with Germany, and to divert the millions of marks spent in that country every year in buying "artificial manmes, tarni machinery, cloth, ■ raw materials, and other wares into the .noekeU of American and British manufacturers and producers. To Buy from Anglo-Saxon, • In order to be prepared for the change' which they saw cumiug, and to facilitate the opening up of business relations with- America and England, the co-operativo leaders had already formed two business corporations, tne Central Co-operative Peasants' Society i and tiie Central Machinery Company. I Each had a capital- of 31/t),000 maria only, because during tho war, in order to prevent money ueing diverted from the war loans, no new companies in Gerniuny weie allowed a larger capital than tins sum. But now Unit this restriction no longer exists,- the capital ot tho two companies will'be greatly increased. Tho main object of iheso.companics will bb to net as agents or middlei men in the , purchase of BOoiLw trow America and England. In conjunction with these, the co-op-erative organisations in Poaen will extend their activities throughout Poland. 1 great meeting was liold in Lublin . in February, wlien it wns resolved reform a a central organisation in \\arsaw for all Poland, ineiifdilig l'oscn, talicia, and Congress-Poluud. Other territories which the Poles hope the Peace Confer- ! enco will add to tneir present country will also Jia-ve their co-operativo associatione Together these will form a very influential business undertaking whoso pwc'Hises will 'run into many millions a year it is expected, indeed, that whole shiploads of merchandise can- bo bought at once in England or America, and brought through Danzig along tho Vistula direct to Warsaw, and aleo by water to Posen and other towns. The activities of the co-operative associations will not be confined to imports, but will also include tho export trade, übtably in sugar. Posen alonu produces enough sugar to supply 11,000,000 people after satisfying her own needs. Almost as much sugar could bo produced in Con-uress-Poland where the cultivation of the eVar beet was always kept back in the wist, owing to Germany's influence, which aimed at protecting her own sugar.industry. , ,-,"..„ Freed from the thalevolent influences of her lato rulers, Germany, Austria, and Russia, the new Poland can now look forward to « coinmorcinl and industrial expansion hitherto undreamed of. Not the least important factor in this work will be the co-operative organisation which began in Posen in such a email' way nearly half a century ago.