WORKING MEN AND CO-OPERATION.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2621, 15 August 1881, Page 2

WORKING MEN AND CO-OPERA-TION.

[to the editor.]

Sir, —Would *you allow me through the medium of your valuable paper to say a few few words on the above subject. I am not used to writing to papers, but I venture to do so with a hope of bringing men who can write. I believe co-operation to bo the moat effective means of permanently raising the people—more especially the working classes—and I would recommend them not to discuss any longer with employers, but to try and dispense with them. The position of the laborer has been hitherto that the capitalist has given him the least possible wages, at the same time selling his products at the highest price, and purchasing his material in the lowest market. Sir, I am no friend of the capitalist, although I am a friend of capital—it is the servant of its owner, and a very good one too. I would ask all working men to obtain by all legitimate means the all-powerful king—capital. The best way to do so, in my opinion, is to join and become a member of the Co operative Retail Store about to be started in Timaru. I calculate that if there were only 40 members it would pay well, for say 40 householders spending £SO per year each—that is, for grocery, drapery, coal, firewood, and other goods required in a household —would, at the rate of 15 per cent, be £3OO profit (less management) ; but I believe if working men will study their own interests the membership would be 400 at least to start with, and I hold that a manager and one man and boy would do the whole of the work required for that number. In Oldham, to which town I belong, there are about 50 cotton mills all owned by working men, and over two millions of capital invested in them. If a person invested £IOO in a retail store, he would receive not only the current rate of interest for his money, but being a purchaser from the store would receive a bonus on the amount of his purchases. I would recommend every working man to join the store whether he is a Tabor Leaguer, Trade Unionist, or not. I believe that if the money already invested by working men at Government interest were withdrawn and re-invested it would in a few years employ nearly the whole of the working men of the colony. I think working men are beginning to see that the use of their own capital for their own purpose would be to their good. I conclude with these figures which speak for themselves. There are in England (1876) 1300 retail stores with a capital of £4,000,000, and doing a trade of £1,000,000 and paying interest at from 10 to 30 per cent. —I am, &c., CO-OPERATION.