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 CHARTER 
 
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 OF THE 
 
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 Pioneer Co-Operative Company,^ 
 
 COLUMBUS, GEORGIA. 
 
 
 
 COLUMBUS, GA. ^ 
 
 ;g)THOS. GILBERT, PRINTER AISTD BOOK-BINDER. f 
 
 
 1877. 
 
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 To the Super hr Court of said County : 
 
 The petition of William R. Maetin, EdwaPwD J. 
 HoLLEY, Oscar S. Joedan, Abeaham Blakely, Thomas 
 Hunt and William R. Beewstee, respectfully show- 
 that they desire a Charter to be granted to them and 
 SLich other persons as now are, or may be hereafter 
 associated with them by this Honorable Court, under 
 and in pursuance of the Code of this State. 
 
 The object of this Association is to enable its 
 Stockholders to procure Provisions, and other neces- 
 saries of life, upon the most favorable terms, and to 
 save to themselves the profits now made by the mer- 
 chants. 
 
 In order to accomplish this object it is proposed to 
 carry on, in the City of Columbus, in said County, 
 the business of buying and selling Groceries, Dry 
 Goods, Provisions, Hardware, and other articles of 
 General Merchandise, in the manner in which such 
 business is usually conducted by merchants. 
 
 The Corporate name is 
 
 ||g |taef |e-|p 
 
 and the time for which they desire the Charter to con- 
 tinue is Twenty years. 
 
 M5tl574 
 
The Capital of said Company is Fifteen Thousand 
 Dollars ($15,000,) with the privilege of increasing the 
 same to Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000,) divided 
 into shares of Ten Dollars ($10) each, transferable in 
 such manner and under such restrictions as the said 
 Corporation, by their By-Laws, may require and 
 direct. 
 
 The Petitioners pray that an order may be passed 
 declaring this application granted. 
 
 PEABODY & BRANNON, 
 Att'ys for Petitioners. 
 Filed in Office September 9th, 187(>. 
 
 JNO. SCHNELL, 
 
 Deputy Clerk. 
 
 In the matter of i 
 W. R. MARTIN, - Application for Charter. 
 et al. ) 
 
 It appearing to the Court that the above petition 
 has been published in the Columbus Enquirer-Sun 
 once a week for one month prior to the first day of 
 the present Term of this Court, and after having heard 
 said petition the Court is satisfied that the application 
 is legitimately within the purview and intention of the 
 Code. It is Ordered^ that said application is granted 
 and the Petitioners, and their successors, are incor- 
 porated for and during the term and period of Twenty 
 years, with the privilege of renewal at the expiration 
 of that time, according to the provisions of . this Code. 
 
STATE OF GEORGIA, MUSCOGEE Co. 
 
 Cleek's Office of the ) 
 
 SUPERIOR COURT ^ 
 
 OF SAID County.) 
 I, George Y. Pond, Deputy Clerk of said Court, 
 do hereby certify that the foregoing three pages con- 
 tain copy of the proceeding had in the matter of W. 
 R. Martin, et al., AppHcation and Order granting 
 Charter of The Pioneee Co-Opeeative Company, at 
 November Term, 1876. 
 
 Given under my hand and Seal of Office this, the 
 13th day of December, 1876. 
 
 GEO. Y. POND, Dep'y Clerk 
 S. C. M. C, Ga. 
 
BY-L^AV^S 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Pioneer Co-Operative Company. 
 
 TIME OF MEETING. 
 
 Section 1. The annual meeting of the Stockholders 
 of this Corporation shall be held on the second Wed- 
 nesday in July in each year, beginning in the year 
 1878, in their building or at their office in Columbus, 
 Georgia, of which notice shall be published in one or 
 more of the city papers, two weeks or longer, preced- 
 ing the date of meeting — it being the intention of 
 this section that it shall not apply until the year 1878. _^ 
 
 QUORUM— PROXY. » 
 
 Sec. 2. Stockholders representing a majority of the 
 Stock shall constitute a quorum. Any Stockholder 
 may be represented and vote by proxy, provided such 
 person so appointed by proxy be a Stockholder, and 
 his appointment must be in writing, signed by the 
 principal and addressed to the President. 
 
BISECTION OF DIRECTORS. 
 
 Sec. 3. The Stockholders, at their annual meeting, 
 shall elect five Directors by ballot to serve until their 
 successors are chosen. In such elections the persons 
 having the greatest number of votes, (though less 
 than a majority of all the votes cast) shall be declared 
 duly elected. 
 
 EI^IGIBLLITY. 
 
 Sec. 4. No person shall be eligible to the o£&ce of 
 President or Director who is not the holder of at least 
 five shares (o) of stock in his own name. 
 
 ELECTION OF PRESIDENT AND TREASURER. 
 
 Sec. 5. At the first meeting of the Directors subse- 
 qu^ent to their election they shall elect one of their 
 own number President of the Company, and they 
 shall also elect a Treasurer, who shall be a Stockholder 
 in the Company, and the said Treasurer may be re- 
 moved at the discretion of the Directors, and another 
 appointed to supply the vacancy. 
 
 DUTY OF THE PRESIDENT. 
 
 Sec. 6. It shall be the duty of the President to pre- 
 side at all meetings of the Stockholders, and when 
 present, at the Board of Directors. In his absence 
 from a Directors' meeting, one of the Directors shall 
 be chosen by those present to preside. The President 
 shall call meetings of the Stockholders and of the 
 Board of Directors whenever he may deem them neces- 
 sary — and the President shall call a meeting of the 
 Board of Directors on the request of any two of the 
 Directors. He shall call a meeting of the Stock- 
 holders at the request of one-third of the aggregate 
 amount of the Stock, and he shall have general super- 
 vision of all the affairs of the Company. 
 
DUTY OF THE TREASURER. 
 
 Sec. 7. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to keep 
 a record of the proceedings at the meeting of the 
 Stockholders and of the Board of Directors. He shall 
 keep, or cause to be kept, the books, papers, accounts 
 and funds of the Company ; and at the annual meet- 
 ing of the Stockholders, make a full report of the 
 affairs of the Company, and at any other time, when 
 required by the Board of Directors, he shall make a 
 report of the condition of the Company's affairs. 
 MEETING OF DIRECTORS. 
 
 Sec. 8. The President and Directors shall meet — so 
 soon as it is ready for occupancy — at the office of the 
 Company as often and at such times (being at least 
 four times a year, and one meeting to be within one 
 month subsequent to the Stockholders' Annual Meet- 
 ing,) as Board may elect. The President and two 
 Directors, or in the absence of the President, then 
 three Directors, shall constitute a quorum for the 
 transaction of business. 
 
 DUTY OF DIRECTORS. 
 
 Sec. 9. The Board of Directors shall have authority 
 to manage the affairs and exercise the powers, privi- 
 leges and franchises of the Company as they may 
 deem it expedient for the interest of the Company, 
 subject to the terms of the Charter and such By-Laws 
 as may be from time to time prescribed by the Stock- 
 holders. 
 
 SALARIES AND BOND. 
 
 Sec. 10. The President and Directors shall appoint 
 such officers as may be considered requisite for the 
 service of the Company, who may be removable by 
 the Board. The President and Treasurer shall also 
 
appoint Clerks and all other employees which they 
 may deem necessary for conducting the business of 
 the Company, who may be removable by the Board. 
 The President and Directors shall fix the compensa- 
 tion of all salaried officers and employees of this 
 Company. They shall be required to exact a bond of 
 all salaried officers for the performance of their duties, 
 and their good conduct while in office. 
 DIVIDENDS. 
 
 Sec. 11. The Board of Directors may declare divi- 
 dends of the profits of the Company as they may 
 deem it expedient. 
 
 CERTIFICATES OF STOCK. 
 
 Sec. 12. Certificates of stock in this Company shall 
 be issued with the seal of the Company attached, and 
 shall be signed by the President and countersigned by 
 the Treasurer. 
 
 TRANSFERS. 
 
 Sec. 13. The Stock of the Company shall be trans- 
 ferred only by surrender of the certificate, and on the 
 transfer book of the Company, to be kept in the 
 office of said Company, by the person in whose name 
 it appears or by an authorized legal attorney. 
 LOST CERTIFICATES. 
 
 Sec. 14. Where a person to whom a Certificate of 
 Stock has been issued alleges it to have been lost, he 
 shall file in the office of the Company an affidavit that 
 he has lost it, setting forth the time, placa and circum- 
 stances of the loss and proof of having complied with 
 all laws existing in regird to advertising lost pap3rs, 
 or otherwise regarding lost papers, and finally, to give 
 such approved bond as will indemnify the Company 
 
10 
 
 against smj loss in consequence of issuing a new Cer- 
 tificate in place of the one alleged to be lost. These 
 conditions being complied with, a new Certificate may 
 be issued. 
 
 LIEN ON STOCK. 
 
 Sec. lo. The amount due the Company on any ac- 
 count by any Stockholder, shall constitute a lien upon 
 the stock of such shareholder ; nor shall any stock be 
 transferred until all debts due or demands of the Com- 
 pany upon such person holding such stock shall have 
 been fully paid. 
 
 VAI.IDITY OF NOTES, &c. 
 
 Sec. 16. No note, deed, or conveyance, made by 
 this corporation, shall be valid or binding upon it, un- 
 less signed by both the President and Treasurer. 
 CASH SALES AND PURCHASES. 
 
 Sec. 17. It is understood, and hereby declared, to 
 be the policy of this Company, that all sales made by 
 its officers or employees, and all deliveries of mer- 
 chandise for and on account of this Company, shall 
 be made for cash, or cash in thirty (30) days from 
 date of such sale and delivery ,• and further, that the 
 policy of this Company shall be to make all purchases 
 for cash, and when it shall be feasible, or to the inter- 
 est of the ComiDany; to make any purchase otherwise 
 than for cash, a quorum of the Directors shall be no- 
 tified of such purchase. 
 
 CHANGE OF BY-LATVS. 
 
 Sec. 18. The By-Laws of this Comj^any can be al- 
 tered, amended or added to by a vote of a majority of 
 the subscribed Capital Stock of the Company. 
 
1^511574