Co-OPERATION

change against that of hostile competition. Cooperative societies are formed for production or distribution productive societies secure ail the profits of labour to the; labourers, while distributive societies commonly. known as co-operative stores—secure the minimum of cost to the consumers. The first cooperative store was the Rochdale Equitable Pioneers' Society, started in 1844, but the principle spread very quickly. Eventually a number of societies were a ociated, as in the Scottish and English Co-operative Wholesale Societies. And similar a ociations have been formed for the benefit of various cla es c.g. Civil Service Supply A ociation or The Army and Navy Stores when the various societies of the country were united under a Co-operative Union, with a Central Board. The number of societies in the Union now is about 1050, the total number of societies registered being 17 ix. The total membership of these is about 1,414,000, their share capital is about,£16,165,000, the sale of goods in 1895 realized about.£52,512,000, and the net profit was.£5,397,582. Besides its large distributive busine , the English Wholesale C. makes boots and shoes at Leicester and Heckmondwike, soap at Durham and Crumps all, woollen goods at Batiey and Leeds; and in the same way the Scottish Wholesale makes boots and shoes, shirts, tobacco, bread, etc., and carries on tailoring, cabinet, and printing works. Co-operation has had its failures, and has provoked very violent opposition, especially from butchers in Scotland; but it embodies a right principle, which must win eventually.