Above the national federations there is room for an International Federation; in fact, such exists at least in embryo, under the name of the International Co-operative Alliance. One of its first initiators was M. de Boyve, who suggested it at the British Co-operative Congress at Plymouth in 1886. It was not officially formed, however, until 1895, when its first Congress was held in London. Since then it has met every three years-at Paris, the Hague, Budapest, Cremona, Hamburg, and Glasgow-and its reports form a valuable contribution to the study of the co-operative movement throughout the world. It has published a bibliography of co-operative literature in all languages, and publishes a monthly bulletin in English, French, and German, which was continued as well as possible in spite of the war. * The Alliance is governed by a permanent committee, which formerly filled up its vacancies by co-option; but the members are now elected by the federations of their respective countries (except for M. de Boyve, who was given the title of perpetual honorary secretary, as the one still living founder of the Alliance.) The number of members which each country has a right to elect is settled by the amount of its subscriptions (a contribution of £10 gives a right to elect one member, and £600 to elect seven members, which number may not be exceeded). Seven is the number of British representatives. Germany and France have four each; Switzerland and Hungary three each; Austria, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, and Belgium two cach; Italy, Roumania, Serbia, and Norway one each.† An embarrassing question which arose before the war is that of recogis attempted. Meanwhile, although we find all these factors which would restrict federations of societies for purchasing, the slow development of co-operative wholesales among American societies is principally due to the fact that there are few sections of the country sufficiently covered with co-operative stores to warrant such federations. * Author's Note. There are also honorary members named directly by the Central Committee. Author's Note. Since the Congress of Basel in 1921, the United nizing nationalities which claim independent representation. As is seen above, this was granted to Finland, but refused to Bohemia and Poland which aroused strong protests. Henceforth they will certainly get direct representation in the Alliance, but conflicts may be looked for about the numerous republics which will issue from the dismemberment of Russia. This electoral system, which seems to us more fiscal than democratic, has not failed to provoke criticism, yet it is the socialists who have supported it most strongly. The Alliance includes all forms of co-operative association, i. e., consumption, production, credit, and agriculture; but the first tends more and more to predominate. Originally, however, this association had for its chief object the safeguarding of the rights of producers, to the end that they should not be handed over to the despotic government of the consumers, as was foreshadowed by the great growth in power of the Wholesale Society; it was a sort of individualist revolt against what might be called co-operative collectivism. To effect this, the Alliance advocated, if not self-governing workshops, at least a share in the profits for all workers in the services of distributive societies engaged in production. Article 1 of the Laws (now revised) said, "The Alliance has for its aim . . . to hasten, by all the means of propaganda at its disposal, the moment when all associations called co-operative shall organize in favour of sharing the profits with all the employés without exception." But this early ideal was bit by bit thrust aside, as profit-sharing had not succeeded to any great extent, and, as, moreover, the socialist element, which increased on the committee and in the congresses of the Alliance, was absolutely opposed to it. States and Czecho-Slovakia have representatives to the Central Committee of the Alliance. The Alliance has rallied to its support today all the big federations of all countries, besides a large number of individual societies. Britain alone supplies about half of the subscriptions; but Germany and Austria were rapidly increasing their subscriptions and influence, and before the war it was seen that ere long the control of the Alliance would be transferred from London to Hamburg. The program of the Alliance today, as recently laid down by its president, Sir William Maxwell, is:— (1) The moral and educative aim of putting the co-operators of different countries in touch with one another so that they can teach each other and help the co-operative movement by their union. (2) The practical and commercial object of bringing cooperative societies in different countries into business relations so that the products of those which produce may find outlets in those which only distribute, and that the latter on their side can procure their goods under the best possible conditions. An international wholesale society has been projected. (3) It has the yet higher aim of establishing peace between nations. At the Glasgow Congress (1913), notably, a solemn resolution against the folly of armaments was carried. The German delegate, von Elm, supported the motion, and declared, amid applause, that in Germany all co-operators to the number of four million eight hundred thousand heads of families in 80,555 societies strongly demanded peace. "I know," he added, "that the rulers of the world pay little attention to the wishes of co-operators, but it will not always be thus." If, in fact, as we believe, wars are caused above all by economic causes, and are continued in the struggle for profit would it be in vain to hope that cooperation which has for its ideal the abolition of profit, could establish peace? Still, we must admit that of these three aims only the first has been realized to any degree. The realization of the second is made difficult by the fact that the agricultural and credit societies, and even the productive societies, frightened by the imperialist ambitions of the consumers' societies, are gradually leaving the Alliance.* As for the third aim, one can hardly hope to see its accomplishment during the next generation. Nevertheless, the International Co-operative Alliance succeeded in living through the war, and its bulletin, published in three languages, English, French, and German, was a link between co-operators of the belligerent countries." * Author's Note. For a detailed history of this institution see our prochure on the "International Co-operative Alliance," which has been translated into English. 9 A national union of the co-operative societies of the United States was represented by duly elected delegates for the first time at the Congress of the International Alliance held in Basle, Switzerland, in 1921, by Dr. and Mrs. James P. Warbasse. It was at this Congress, also, that the co-operators of the belligerent countries of the Great War were once more united in genuine concord. The seating of delegates from Russia was discussed at length and warmly, for it had not yet been definitely established that the Movement in that country was entirely free from government control. Finally, however, the two delegates were given seats. The one other outstanding event of the occasion was the organization of the International Women's Co-operative Committee, of which Frau Emy Freundlich of Austria is Chairman. Since this Congress there have been committees at work studying the entire question of International Trading, the formation of an International Wholesale, and the organization of an International Co-operative Bank. These are vexing problems in any event; they are made more vexing by the fluctuations in the rates of exchange between various countries, and by the fact that economic resources in the co-operative movement are not at all evenly distributed between the various European countries: the Wholesales in England and Scotland are far and away the more powerful of all the wholesales. Moreover, none of these problems can be solved separately. International Trading, International Wholesaling and International Banking are all inextricably related one to another. If these committees do nothing more than study the ground, gather statistics, and bring the various movements into closer contact with one another during the next few years, they will have rendered a wonderful service to the Co-operative Movement everywhere. CHAPTER XII THE CONFLICT BETWEEN CO-OPERA TIVE SOCIETIES AND Ꭲ Ꭱ Ꭺ Ꭰ Ꭼ Ꭱ Ꮪ It is obvious that the aim of co-operative consumers' societies gradually to absorb all branches of trade is not at all satisfactory to traders, particularly those who are menaced more directly thereby, i. e., the retail dealers.* In large towns, such as Leeds, Breslau, Bâle, and in many other smaller towns, this evolution is well-nigh accomplished; that is to say almost the entire population makes its purchases at the co-operative store. Thus, in every country the conflict is keen, more so in France than elsewhere, because France is, perhaps, the country in which small trading is the most developed, as are also small industries and small holdings. Author's Note. Here is an amusing instance of the way in which traders write the history of co-operation, taken from the Commerical Journal of Amiens, June 1st, 1897. "The idea of co-operation had its birth under the cloudy skies of aristocratic England. "About sixty years ago a group of workmen founded the first cooperative society under the direction of several clergymen. "The powerful British industrialists saw in it a very practical means of keeping the workmen under their thumbs, and they subscribed largely to these growing societies. The idea very quickly penetrated to the continent and imperial France opened wide its doors to it. At the present time, co-operative societies spring into existence so rapidly that they are a source of anxiety to all lovers of liberty and social well-being. "And, what will ensue if this goes on? It is easy to foretell. It will mean the advent of a régime similar to that under which our neighbours across the Channel live, where we can see every day workmen bowed with years and infirmity holding out supplicating hands to the rich industrialists, who throw them coppers from their gilded coaches." |