(30 Success (m the Edge

The decade of the thirties was that of the Antigonish Movement, as well as of the Depression. In Tignish it was the age of the founding of the Credit Union and the Co-operative Association - with the Fisheries, cornerstones of the area's economy. Co-operation had finally become a way of life for organizations as well as for individuals.

Let us look more closely at the main development of the period - the rise of a formal co-operative movement. During the twenties, Tignish Fisheries grew slowly. As early as 1926 it was paying a dividend of 7% and the following year was making profits of over $10,000 through co-op buying. The original members were not anxious to let new men in, even if they owned their own boats and gear. Instead existing members were encouraged to buy more shares. ”Each boat operated by a shareholder should be represented by a $100.00 share.” Another reason membership was limited was so as not to overcrowd the small plant’s resources. At one time there was even a proposal to limit membership permanently, but it was quashed. Members did much of the building and maintenance work, and made their own new rules as the need arose. They were not getting rich, but they were working for themselves and their families, and doing as well as they could in the Depression.

In 1928 or early 1929, a visitor arrived from Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He had heard about this successful fishermen’s organization and wanted to see it for himself. He was Michael Moses Coady, a professor at St. Francis Xavier University, who was looking for a practical low-cost way to help Nova Scotian fishermen.