THE PELORUS GUARDIAN TUESDAY, JULY 8, 1890. Co-operation.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 1, Issue 47, 8 July 1890, Page 2

THE PELORUS GUARDIAN TUESDAY, JULY 8, 1890. Co-operation.

When the co-operative stores were first started in England by a few working men, who put a very small proportion of their earnings together that they might get the necessaries of life cheaper, they never for a moment thought that such a small beginning would assume such large proportions as it afterwards did, nor was.it ever contemplated until lately that it was possible to have universal co-operation; yet those who are following the course of events are beginning to recognise that such a state of things is not only within the range of possibility, but that before many years have passed it will be an accomplished fact. Ever since the great strike of dockers in London, and the success of their efforts to benefit th*ir condition owing to the great liberality of the Colonies an impetus has been given to the principle of co-operation little dreamt of some years ago. Nearly all reforms have been the children of Oppression, and consequently they have originated from the working classes, as being the ones to be oppressed by the greed of gold on the part of those who, by the fortune of birth and other circumstances, had the opportunity afforded them. There is a great change, however, taking place, the working men have co-operated together against the greed of capital, and now capital is combining to try and prevent labour from obtaining all its demands ; but as labour creates capital, and capital is valueless without labour, ’ there is a good chance of the latter being victorious. We think, however, that the two will join hands before long, and then we will come to that state of things which is so clearly pictured by Mr Bellamy in his work “Looking Backward.” At the present time the coalminers on the West Coast at one of the coal mines have made demands for an increase of pay, and an offer has been made to work the mine on the co-operative principle, which we can only hope will be accomplished. The other day the Wellington master butchers combined together to raise the price of meat, but they counted without their host, for the people at once formed a co-operative butchery, which is now in full swing. We might say a good deal more as to what has been, and is likely to be done, by people combining together for the general good of all, but we think we have said enough to show that if any good is to be done either politically or socially, people must be united, and stand shoulder to shoulder. We often hear the expression “Unity is strength,” but how few seemed to have fully recognised its truth, or make any attempt to act up to it until but recently. The settlers in the Pelorus Sound seemed to have realised its truth, when they combined together some short time ago to try and get a mail service established, and success so far crowned their efforts that it has been promised to them. us imagine for a moment that there is a great weight to which is attached a long rope, metaphorically speaking we may say this weight is a steam mail service, or it is a road to Mahakipawa, or it may be the development of our mineral resources, or the small matter of erecting a stage to the Town Hall; then also let as imagine that first one individual has a pull at it, then another, until all have tried their individual strength. The result will be that the weight will remain stationary ; but let us imagine on the other hand that the whole of the people interested make one big pull all at once, and it is moved with the greatest ease. This is a selfevident truth seen in every-day life, but because it is such a simple truism it seems more likely tp be disregarded.

Let the settlers of this district once comprehend the strength there is in co-operation, they will soon unite as one man and obtain all their legitimate demands, but if it is left to only one or two members of the community, they may possibly wait in vain for those good results which are within easy reach, if they would only combine together to get them. .