The Shop and the Store Mr. Walter Elliot's pointed hint
that the distributive trades of the country would do well to organize themselves in such a way that they can speak and negotiate with the Government as a single unit raises a large question. Mr. Elliot has his own experience of planning in the sphere of agriculture, and the success or failure of his experiments has still to be demonstrated. In regard to the distribu- tive trades generally he speaks with no more authority than any other Cabinet Minister. But his warning is no doubt an evidence of a tendency in Cabinet circles. The difficulty of organization is great, for the distributive trade is sharply divided7--divided, it may be said, with increasing sharpnessbetween the individual: business, inherited or built up by patient effort, and the, multiple concern that is always threatening to submerge it. And apart from either stands the extensive and still growing co-operative movement. To reconcile those divergent interests sufficiently to enable the awe-raiment to deal with them, in case of need, as a whole is next to impos- sible. The danger is lest it should, tacitly show favour to the large concern as being easier to negotiate with. In Germany the Government is. championing the individual trader against the big. stores. , Here the individual trader would : do well to set,. about the protection of his own interests.
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