At the opening of the "Co-operators' Flower Show" at the
Crystal Palace on August 19th, Lord Grey gave a striking address on the ideal side of co-operation, and urged the old objection against modern co-operation,—namely, that it has degenerated into a hunt for dividends. What was wanted was to convert the hireling into a partner by means of profit-sharing. "The Wholesale" is, or soon will be, the largest employer in the country ; it ought, there- fore, to apply the copartnership principle in its workshops. We agree with Lord Grey that profit-sharing—i.e., copartner- ship—is the true principle, and also, as Mr. Livesey has shown, that it " good business." At the same time, we think that the Wholesale can only in practice, though not perhaps in theory, be urged to adopt it on the same grounds as other employers, namely, that it is "good business." Curiously enough, the Wholesale has in some ways a better answer to the demand, "Share profits with your workmen," than has the private employer. The Wholesale can say : Let all our employes join Co-operative Societies which deal with us, and so share in our profits and dividends. In that way they will get down to the last penny the profit that belongs to them.' That is a course always open to the employe of the Wholesale, and leems to a great extent to meet the case.
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