Page 179 - The_story_of_the_C._W._S._The_jubilee_history_of_the_cooperative_wholesale_society,_limited._1863-1913_(IA_storyofcwsjubill00redf) (1)_Neat

Coal and Collieries.
Again, large societies, finding themselves able to make moderately-
good bargains independently, would not stand together with the
small, societies in one combination of consumers. Societies'
managers were reported as averse to the C.W.S. entering the business,
and the C.W.S. official responsible replied: " We have not had any
expression of opinion from managers in favour of it." However,
the delegates from the ten societies represented nearly all spoke
encouragingly, instancing the difficulties they had already overcome,
even when acting single-handed. The representative of one society
said they v/ere " surrounded by collieries, but unable to use the coal,
and up to the present time they had been debarred almost from
bringing coals into the station. Certain collieries had a right of
siding, and the society thought if they dealt with the Wholesale
they would get over that difficulty." A resolution was agreed
upon unanimously pledging support to the C.W.S. A home coal
trade was begun, and carried on as a section of the .shipping
department for some years. Born into an atmosphere so inclement,
it proved a lean and untliriving addition to the C.W.S. family. In
1900 the sales amounted to 41,284 tons of £32,884 value. After
eight years this was all too little. Meanwhile, a few societies around
Dewsbury, being well placed for combination, had joined to form
the West Yorkshire Coal Federation. " Their experience," said Mr.
"
George Thorpe, speaking at Birmingham in 1901, had established
beyond question the fundamental principle that it was much cheaper
to administer a great mass than a small one." The first weel-cs
of 1900 found the Coal Federation considering the buying of a
colliery. Its directors convened a North-Western Conference at
Dewsbury on January 27th to further the acquisition of the Upton
Hall estate, near Pontefract, and the sinking of pits. The capital
proposed was £183,000, and, by cheerfully assuming that every
co-operative purchaser in the district would buy four tons yearly,
the wTiter of the prospectus was able to exhibit a glittering profit
of £111,638 per annum. "If anything would spur co-operators
to go in for this scheme," said the chairman, " it would be the
present inflated prices of coal." In reality the effect should have
been precisely opposite, for, as we saw in Chapter XIII., the buying
of colUeries during a period of artificial prices had added to the
disasters of 1874-9. From the Dewsbury conference an influential
deputation was appointed to interview the C.W.S. and seek the
support of the Society, but, fortunately, the greater federation
was not influenced. In the following year the Coal Federation again
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