New-York tribune., 1897-12-19
WHERE TIME is NONE Y
CosME. THE CURIOUS GREAT-GRAND-
CHILD OF GREAT BRITAIN.

A PROSPEROUS SETTLEMENT IN PARAGUAY IN
! WHICH THERE Is NO MONEY EXCEPT TIME
AND WHERE ALI. DO THEIR OWN WORK
/ The announcement has just come TO nahd OF
| tn, final failure and abandonment OF tne We"
| Australia" colony founded few years ago III
/ Paraguay. The news was not unexpecteu' lor
| the enterprise had for considerable tHe oeeh
/ In a parlous state. owing partly TO poor crops
| and partly TO tealousies and dissensons among
the members. For it was a cooperative nov 10
| say a communistic, concern. 1t had its origin IN
! Australia in lS91 There were then some great
strikes and other labor troubles in that country
{ and a number Of families. thinking the prevail
| ing scheme Of social organization all wrong, de-
/ cided to establish a Utopia Of their own. where
/ everything should he just they wanted II 10
/ he In order 10 be free from all old influences,
/ they left Australia altogether and went to Para
quay. Their ideal was an entirely set-support-
/ ing state in which all things required for use
| should he produced and there should be no need
/ OF either imports exports. y was not in
/ tended that the state should contain more
/ than 10000 people. About 5000 members were
+ enrolled with a gross capital of more than Sloo-
900
: At the very outset however dissensons arose.
In theory. a., were TO he Of one mind. seeking
only the common good Of all The usual Social
list sentiments were much to the fore From
each according 10 his ability. TO each according
10 his needs" and all the rest. In practice.
however the coIonists showed that they had
changed their skies but not their minds in mi
grating TO South America from Australia.
| Their old human nature soon cropped out
| pronouncedy as ever. Each wanted his own
/ way and to promote his own individual In
/ terests. There a chairman. or president. Of
! course chosen by the whole body 10 be their
! want But he showed himself Just much dis
! posed to be their ruler "a though ne had been
/ king. instead Of a chairman Of a commune. The
majority OF the people soon grew dissatisfied
. with his autocratic ways and wanted 10 depose
/ him To which he strenuously objected These
dssensiOns affected the prosperity OF the colony.
? Men said that II they could not have their own
/ way they would not work. And So OF
4 the most fertile soils and In Of the most
genial climates In the world. the enterprise Ian
guished and steadily declined. At last the Para
( guayan Government appealed 10 for relief.
/ II persuaded them 10 abandon their communstic
system. which had proved failure. and 10 d.
vide their property among themselves for ind-
vidual ownership. Thus the cooperative expert
ment was abandoned and the colonists resumed
the same individual social relations they had
abandoned In Australia and had fed TO another
continent 70 avoid
THE OLD IDEALS TRIED AGAIN
Some OF them however. were made OF sterner
stun. A hundred or more had sufficient faith or
| fanaticism some other controlling spirit. 10
keep them true to the old ideals When the
downfall of the original colony seemed assured
they seeded and established another settlement
/ on their own account many miles away. That
. is the colon" of Cosme. which still hourishes and
bids fair 20 do so as long the fervor Of spirit
of the founders lasts. or until It IS swamped by
tho inrux OF new members worn away by the
| attriton of adjoining communities. Al present
tho cauny Scots who form the dominant element
In II seem possessed Of something Of the spirit
/ u the Pilgrim Fathers in their earnest devotion
. 90 their ideal-a spirit which alone has been
found able 20 make communism succeed
The coonists ~ Cosme began their enterprise
win almos' no worldly goods They had to sac
I riicr all the.r interests ir the paren, colony
when they seeded from IL; They had nothing
bur what they could carry with them They had
not only 10 clear and tn the land and 70 build
their own houses. hut ~ make thei- furniture
. and clothes ana even the implements with
which they worked But they I'D it, They
r huilf houses. factories. stores and boats They
. made furniture ploughs wagons. and all else
they n"'d"d They made. indeed all the things
a community ~ simple habits commonly needs
except money That they have not made and
4 DO not SCI seem to need
All thing. are owned In common and all work
ia done for the benefit Of all in the true Socialls,
fashion Each * required 20 work seven
hours a day. For that he receiyes no remunera-
ton except. ~ course the home and food and
other things which all enjoy alike. But any one
/ IftraN IA, ,rk firt.. urb ha
for such labo he Is paid. not In money or goods
but in time. For every hour overtime he works
/ h- receives credit. When ~ thus has seven
7 hours 10 his credit. he can take holiday. In
Tx" manner he can work up enough credit ~
/ ~ntit!e him 10 a variation OF a week. or month.
or more. In tn" course of few years the colony
expects 10 b" able 10 reduce the required hours
. OF labor. That will increase the chauces OF
earning vacations by working overtime 80 that
men Will be- enabled to secure longer vacations.
Nor * that the only way In which time Is
used money. When a man wants something
he is not able 10 make for himself he goes 70
man who can make IT, and buys il cf him
paving him In time by transferring some ot the
time which Is set down TO his own credit to the
credit Of the seller Thus. II chairs are worth
7 thr-. hours each. a who has thrty-six
hours down to his credit purchase a
dozen Of them. In such fashion are all the bust
ness operations OF the community conducted
\ different method would. OF course have TO be
! employed in dealing with outsiders But then
. the colony has practically no dealings with out
/ sidrrs II is entirely selr-contained and self
sufficient. II supplies all It's own wants. and
accepts money. hut only other goods In bar
ter from such OF the neighborng people de-
sire any OF its surplus product.
WHERE RIOTOCs LIVING is CHEAP.
curious illustration OF the indifference to
money felt by the colonists Of Cosme was fur
nshed by three OF them who recently made
visit to Asuncion. They had worked overtime
until each had .hree weeks 10 his credit