Best system of leakage for a country co-operative store - A paper - By G.H. Hopkinson

Sep 21, 2026

Discusses the problem of “leakage” in commercial transactions by weight, where sellers using drafts for excess goods at wholesale inevitably create a loss when retail quantities are smaller. Evaluates why fully abolishing drafts and requiring minute accuracy is impractical and costly, and warns that eliminating drafts could harm cooperative membership trust. Proposes a reliable experimental method to determine reasonable leakage by weighing standard goods and using controlled draft allowances to build statistics for assessing storekeeper diligence and honesty.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Bibliographic Microform Target

Original Material as Filmed

Technical Microform Data

Best System of Leakage for a Country Co-operative Store

Leakage concept and commercial practice

Limits of abolishing drafts

Need for experiments and reliable measurement

98-84399-18Hopkinson,G.H. Best system of leakage fora country cO-operative..Manchester [188-?] COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIESPRESERVATION DIVISION # BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED-EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD Hopkinson,G.H. Best system of leakage for a country co-operative store:a paper/by G.H.Hopkinson. Manchester :Central Co-operative Board,[188-?] 8p. # TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE: 35mmREDUCTION RATIO: 9:1 MAGE PLACEMENT:IA AIB IIB DATE FILMED: 4-16-98INITIALS: h7 TBACKING\#: 32686 FILMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES,BETHLEHEM,PA. | BEST SYSTEM
OF
LEAK A GE
FOB A
COUNTRY CO-0PERATIVE STORE.
A PAPER
BY
G.H.HOPKINSON
(Secretary of the Bradford Provident Industrial Society
Limuited,Yorkslire).
188UED BY
THE Co-OPERATIVE Uxtox LIDCITED,2,NircHOLAS CRorT,HroH STEET,
MANCHESTER, | | --- | # BEST SYSTEM OF LEAKAGE FOR ACOUNTRY CO-0PERATIVE STORE. A PAPER By G.H.HOPKINSON, Seuretary of the Bradford Provident Induatrial SocietyLinited,Yorkshire. In most commerciel traLsactious which conaist of buyingand selling goode by weight,it has been the oustom from timeimmemorial for the seller to give the buyer a draft,that i to88y,such an allowance of extrs goods as catsed the goods endof the scale to fall beiow atriet balance.AB it praoticallyreqnires the same draft to turn the scale whether the weight ofthe goods be much or little,it follows that the draft obtainedwith wholeale gooda will be Bnfflicient to indemnify only oneretail draft,and that all the other drafts given in dispoBing ofthe goods by retail will be Bo much abeolute loE8.Thie loEB,which is the only loss properly called leakage,is invariablyexperienced whenever goods are sold in smaller quaptities thanthose in which they are bonght.The amonnt of this leakage,depending a8 it does upon the care and accuraey of the store-keeper when engaged in weighing,bas occupied a large ahareof the attention of eo-operative committee-men;andjustly,too,for although other thinga 8ometimes affeet the bonns morepowerfully,noze do 8o more frequently or more invariably.How to conatrain the storekeepers to diminiah thie leakage tothe smallest poesible amount iB B problem which all who Breintereeted in co-operation bave been,and still are,anxious to8olve.Yet its eolntion doeB not appear to be mueh moreimminent now than it did when the anxiety firat began to befelt. In looking at this leakage qnestion abstraotly,it wonldocour to some people at firet that the very baais of leaksgoehould be abolished.They wonld aek“Why have any leakageat all?A pound of goods is a ponnd;a pound of goode is a8much ae s cnatomer pays for;why then give them more?Abolishthe aystem of draftR,give atrict weight and no more,and th6n there will be an end of leakage altogether.”This, 盘 without donbt,would be a very effeotive remedy;bat,as thinggire at preaent,it is impraotieable.It wonld cost more than itwould gain to weigh every purohase with minute chemical3Xactitnde,and though it is true that a oustomer nominallypays for a pound,the relations between him and the geller haveby long onstom beoome sucb,that he really pays for a poundBDd a draft.Let anyone thinking otherwiBe attempt to eellwithout drafts,and I am pretty confident that the amount ofhis patronage will epeedily convinee him that Iam right.Toweigh goods 86 acoarately ae this remedy requires wouldDeoessitate a gooddeal of extra a8Bistanoe in eaoh shop,whilethe members wonld appATently receive less than purehaB∈18at other shope,and though it might justly be argued that theywonld lose nothing in the end,people are slWaSB more proneto judge by appearapee than from refleotion,and a gocietywhich aboliahed drafte would be in very great danger of losinga large nnmber of ita membere,

FAQs

What does “leakage” mean in this document?

Leakage is the loss that occurs when goods are sold in smaller quantities than those in which they were bought, due to the draft allowance needed to balance weighing.

Why can’t the system of drafts simply be abolished?

Abolishing drafts would require weighing every purchase with minute accuracy, which would be more costly than the gain, and it could also risk reduced trust and membership support.

What solution does the document propose to measure leakage reliably?

It recommends an experiment: take standard goods (e.g., butter), weigh them into consistent parts, apply a reasonable draft per portion, and compare results to derive statistical information about reasonable leakage.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Lucas Martin