The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-12

wealth expects to move soon. Sells is the
manager OF the Cooperative Common
wealth now. He is an ex-railroad man,
and appears to be an honest fellow who IS
struggling to keep the thing above the
surface until the prosperity that is few
weeks of al most arrives. For SIX weeks
he has been engaged as Waterman and
his earnings have gone into the sinking
fund.- which helps pay the expenses OF the
Natoma-street house, where fifteen of the
members eat and bunk on the floors.
A week ago Laura de Force Gordon be-
came interested and accepted the presl-
dency. Then the privilege of making the
Labor Bureau the Office Of the common
wealth was secured from Labor Commits
sioner Fitzgerald, and Secretary Gray sits
there now.
Mr.. Gray said yesterday that things
looked encouraging and that a constitu-
ton and bylaws would be adopted soon.
There are seventy members enrolled, but
only fifteen can be accommodated at the
headquarters, where the bill of fare is
largely a matter of luck yet.
eve are rapidly getting work for our
members explained Mr.. Gray. ''We
have three men working for Lawyer Mon
teith in San Rafael, one in Sausalito, four
at Sutro Heights and three others in the
City. We have an order for twenty men
for fruit picking in three weeks and to-day
we sent a man to Boulder Island. When
a member works out of town that way he
is to pay 10 per cent of what he gets to the
commonwealth. If he works here and
lives at headquarters he pays it all in and
gets credit for it. Each mans account is
kept, and when there is surplus he will
get back what is due him after paying his
own share of the total expense. We don't
keep it all now, but give him what he
needs for clothes, etc"
The commonwealth is sailing pretty
close to the wind, and in a practical way is
held together by Manager Sells, who is
hustling for contracts for work, though he
hasn't any yet. Sparse contributions and
the few dollars earned by members now
and then keep the club on Natoma street
in existence. Mr.. Sells and others COM
plain that they are misunderstood, and
they undoubtedly are.
"What we want is honest work, and to
help each other and divide the expenses
and profits" said Mr.. Sells yesterday.
"We'ye been hurt good deal by the way
the thing started. But We'll be all right
before long. l expect to get contract on
the Valley road, and then every man will
get just his share of what is made and pay
his share of the expense.
1--WE expect to get big contract on a
ditch near Yuma in the fall, and will
establish colony there. The men will
work on the ditch and cultivate unoccupied
land at the same time. we are going &c
get jobs here in the City and elsewhere
and Mrs. Gordon is going to help us gel
unoccupied land to work, as Mayor Pin
gree has done in the East"
So this little struggling cooperative
commonwealth has large plans and expec.
tations. Manager Sells has learned one BIZ
of wisdom by his experience as manager
He has found that some members who slip
in will eat off the commonwealth until
work is found for them, and when they gel
their money will skip back to the methods
of competition without even paying their
share of the potato account. Now Mr.
Sells takes an order for the wages before
the job is turned over.