10 JUNE 1911, Page 3

The Annual Congress of the Co-operative Societies of Great Britain

and Ireland opened at Bradford on Monday. The figures quoted by Mr. G. Thorpe, of Dewsbury, the President, showed that there was an increase in membership of 76,506 for 1910 as against 1909. Even more striking were the figures for sales for the same period, which amounted to 2111,582,779, or an increase of 22,670,515, while the profits amounted to 212,024,816, or an increase of 213,693. It is worthy of note that the issue by the Parliamentary Committee at the last election of a manifesto urging co-operators "to take such action as would enable the democracy to retain unimpaired their constitutional liberties" was adversely criticized on the ground of its gratuitous introduction of party politics.