CO-OPERATIVE BUYING IN POLAND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17690, 30 July 1919, Page 8

CO-OPERATIVE BUYING IN POLAND.

SYSTEM AT WORK IN POSEN. HISTORY OF A GREAT MOVEMENT. Probably in no country in Europe has 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 one central organisation, there aro no fewer than 400 co-operative societies of various kinds, with 120,000 members distributed throughout Posen, iSilesia, and Western and Ivistern Prussia. Of* these, : 200 - are financial institutions, with funds aggregating betwen 500,000,000 and 600,000,000 marks. Seventy are agricultural, 15 are land societies, and the remainder are chiefly engaged in general trading businesses. At the present time special arrangements arc being made to establish closer relations between all these various societies and America and England, so that the trade hitherto done almost exclusively with Germany may be transferred to these two Allied countries. A CAPABLE BUSINESS HEAD. Tho director of the whole organisation is the Rev. Stanislaus Adamski, a high authority on all unancial and economic affairs, and a most capable business organiser. He lias given a representative of the Christian Science Monitor an account of the wonderful development of this co-oper.v tive movement, which has flourishedin i the face of the most determined opposition ! oil the part of tho Prussian Government. I which saw that the movement was strength- : eniug and uniting the Poles, making them I financially and economically independent of ! Prussia. j The- movement began in 1872 with the establishment of financial institutions de signed to protect the Poles against usurpers, by lending money to members at reasonable rates. Loans axe made to small farmers to enable them to buy additional land or farm machinery, to build houses and barns, and not infrequently even to provide a dowry for their daughters. These loans are repaid in small instalments. The bonks ;dso lend money to small storekeepers, who are able ti> buy their stocks much cheaper for cash, and so can well afford to pay a low rate of interest on the loan. Tho largest single institution is the

Industry Baiik in Posen, with deposits of 50,000,000 marks. Its business is chiefly with the large landowners and manufacturers, who are often glad to be able to borrow money on terms. When the financial organisations were well started, other co-operative societies were gradually added, principally 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 quantities at very low prices, and retailed to members at a yery slightly higher cost. In one year, for instance, the central body bought 100,000 tons of coal direct from the German coal syndicate, and sold 'it to members a± prices far below what they would have to pay the coal dealers. SUBDIVIDING- LARGE ESTATES. One of tJie most important branches of the co-operative movement lay in the partitioning of land amongst peasants. Large estates were bought up, and subdivided into small holdings, eaflh sufficient to support a family. Tho size of these varied from 14- to 25 aorcs, according- to the nature and quality of the soil. From the beginning this work proved so successful that the Prussian Government became alarmed, and took severe measures to repress it. The Poles wero forbidden to erect houses or farm baildings of any kind on these lands. All sorts of devices were adopted in the effort to evade the law. The peasants lived in gipsy vans, moving these about all over their farms, but the Prussian authorities stopped this, and in the end the situation became so intolerable that these land societies could buy land only on which houses were already built. Now that the Prussian yoke has been shaken off this work of dividing up big estates can be taken up again, and can be very considerably developed. The sudden collapso of the Central Powers last November has brought about an ecanomi/3 revolution in Poland, as it has in most- countries. The Posen co-operative organisations will now have an opportunity of developing to a far greater extent than over before. The first, thing tho leaders proposed to do was to cut off, as far as possible, all business connections with Germany, and to divert tho millions of marks spent in that country every year in buying artificial manures,, farm machinery, cloth, raw materials, and other wares into tho Dockets of American and British manufacturers and producers. TO BUY FROM ANGLO-SAXON. In order to be prepared for the change which they saw coming, and to _ facilitate the opening up of business relations with America-, and England, the co-operative leaders had already formed two business corporations, the Central Co-operative Peasants' Society and the Central Macfai-

nery Company. Eacli had a capital of 300,000 marks only, because during tho war, in order to prevent money being diverted from tho war loans, no new companies in Germany were allowed a larger capital than this eum. But now that this restriction no longer exists, the capital of tho two companies will be greatly increased. The main object of these companies will be to act as agents or middlemen in the purchase of goods from America and Enspland. In conjunction with these, the co-opera-tive organisations in Posen will extend their activities throughout Poland. A great nicotine was held in Lublin in February, when it was resolved to form a central organisation in Warsaw for all Poland, including Posen, Galieia, and CongressPoland. Other territories which ths Poles hope tho Peace Conference will add to their present country will also haw their cooperative associations. Together these will form n very influential business undertaking whose purchases 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 the Vistula direct to "Warsaw, and also by water to Posen and other towns. The activities of the co-opw&tiviv associations will not bo confined to imports, but will include the export trade, notably in sugar. Posen alone produces enough sugar to supply 11,000,000 people .after satisfying her own needs. Almost as much sugarcould be produced in Congress-Poland where the cultivation of the sug-ar boot was always kept bad; in tho past, owing to Germany's influence, which aimed protecting' her own sugar industry, Freed from tba malevolent influences of her late rulers, Germany, Austria, and Ilussia, the- new Poland can now look forward to a commercial and Industrial expansion hitherto undreamed of. Not the least important factor in this work will bo the co-operative organisation which in Posen in such a small way nearly half a century ago.