The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-04-14

AS Cooperation Has It's Eco
lomic Limits Says President
ofthe National League


CHICAGO, April 14.-7 operation
has its economic limits - wen -
socialism, said John Graham BROOKS
OF Harvard University president OF
the National Consumers League in q
discussion today before the second
National Conference on Marketing and
Farm Credits meeting here with the
Western Economics Society. He said
that not all agencies of production
were going to be turned over TO the
state. and consequently not all IN
terest and profits could be .socialized.
He said:
Fifty years OF pro6t-shartng and
labor co-partnership, as recorded in
the careful report Of the English board
of trade 1912, shows us, with a sort
Of absolute certainty how profound
are the limits within which those
agencies must work. Though older
profit sharers though they we're 10
have the whole future TO themselves.
AS against these, consumers co-opera-
tion is with equal certainty to have
Gas it is actually having 9 VesIly
wider influence. But 1t seems TO me
clear that the socialistic claim for us
university is without much SOHO
ground. 80
eroup OF English socialists put out
document In the present year Win
the following paragraph:
. sThere is in the nature Of things
no reason why in state OF
economic equality one 1ndlVlo 1is.l
should not exchange his commonly
or service for the commonly OF ser
vice Of another individual, II he pre-
fars to do so, without entering INTO
oo-onerative processesS retaining, IKE
the artist, complete freedom 10 pro-
5s,r,a for one customer after another 10
,1,ba fever extent and in whatever man
na1-, we have the frankest admission
+hat co-operation, as we'll as socialism
nroper. is to have its limits
.sro-operation lifts the level OF tne
competitive struggle; it makes II Ia LlI
er: it humanizes it, but 1t does not re- re-
move it. Or, to put it more concr rt,1sli.
in terms of another limitation. Wn .i
tl,a+ has both an immediate practlcai
interest as well as specuAaSlFe etAS -
even more importance. .4ar
"Eyery effective cooperative cen nue.,
Instantly reacts upon local retall
nrices. cooperative literature -
a.aTw countries presents the most
startling tables to illustrate Wnat may
he saved by pocketing the dlneIenc4
between retail prices lespeclal4y
noints where there is little co1npet -S
tion or practical agreement on PEEe -
end, what products might be SOLO TOT.
In Europe generally the purcnase 80, 70
Fertilizers, seeds, instruments
,nuIcted around forty per cent anu
,asidas' the thieveries OF adulteratlon.
stAs an the successful store move
r,a,,t1 co-operation brings THESE
ericss at once to fairly reason DIG
limits and often puts out OF DuSlI
ness inefficient retailers VINO ~
exist only by these crude e3p tS,ese
+ions Again and again, as THESE
prices are dropped to meet me me az.
vading co-operators, one sees the tug
,,F v-a1 hegin. A Canadian store re-
norts: we had magnidcent snow
To +he Arsst wear We made prices
t 80 all around us, but since then
We haven't had mucn to show Co
GENERATORS on the Pacific coast nave
had plenty of experience OF snis
same sort. o.lorie.
of cooperation that 1t does tbam
down the prices and keep them
5own-a result for which co-opera-
zion often gets scant credit; olL
1r,ba, the margin of unfair prices
has been brought down, the real 1lLn-
tia within which co-operators have 70
ac+ js reached. and they are talriy
nitted against opponents ready 70
try wits and eftictencies assLlll l..I.s.e,
so-called democratic business sass
There are thousands OF these vls ~
ous indiyiduals, even in Danish pa
con butter and eggs. and IN Ln at
Fynglfsb store movement, who do not
fear co-operators in the less.
eve do not think Of the soeoal l,s.e
postofice as a part OF cooperation :.
Cooperation w:ll do business VIII LII y
as with the state railways, tele-
n 81 and other monopoiies which
have finally passed out Of private de
hands; but the rise and extension o.
the consumers movement IS essentA-
a1Iy voluntary; it allows outside com m
petition; it lays the utomst stress on
restricted and socialized ilnase-
rnent Jealous of outside Interference
# lie free from monopoly because It's
doors are always open to new mem
bers."