AMERICAN PROBLEMS by WILLIAM E.BORAH 1924

220 WILLIAM E. BORAH
The cooperative societies, like a network, cover every
town, village, and hamlet throughout the wide, expansive
territory of Russia and Siberia.
The cooperative societies passed unscathed
through the revolution. They were undisturbed.
They continued to do business, and
they carried out their contracts both at home
and abroad; and they. are the basis of the industrial
life of Russia at the present time.
The initial efforts of the movement proved such a
phenomenal success that it rapidly spread throughout the
country. It is a democratic institution, created and managed
by the people to supply their needs and to foster their
welfare. It was instigated by lofty ideals, but, contrary to
most other organizations founded on such idealistic principles,
it applied itself to its manifold tasks in a practical
manner. An organization so constituted was certain to
make rapid strides. It merits the remarkable success it
has attained.
As the individual cooperative societies progressed they
found that still further economies could be attained by the
formation of provincial wholesale cooperative societies.
Thus the individual cooperatives of the province of Astrakhan
organized and became members of the Astrakhan
Reginal Union of Consumers Societies, the cooperatives
of Archangel organized and became members of Archangel
.Union of Cooperatives, and so on throughout the various
provinces of the country.
On page 9 it
is further said: