The Washington times., 1914-03-26
A MILLION FAMILIES IN A
BUYING COMBINE.

If the cooperative marketing
association of one million American
families, under the wing of the Ma
tional Cooperative Food Commits
sion, can get going, and keep going,
it can make itself a good deal of a
factor in the cost of living problem.
A million families are a very con-
siderable proportion - about one
twentieth-of all the families in the
United States. The combined pur-
chasing power of million Ame,i-
can families is huge total. If all
their spendings are concentrated in
business enterprise they will form
a commercial and financial institu-
tion to make the biggest trust green
with envy.
No doubt, too, such a cooperative
association embracing so many buy
ing and selling units acting in con-
cert could, in fact, reduce economic
wastage now prevalent along the
line from producer to consumer. It
could get the benefit of buying in
enormous quantities, of shipping to
the great centers by the trainload,
of distributing to the consumer di-
rectly from the receiving warehouse,
of coordinate. delivery doing away
with repeated trips of half empty or
three-quarters empty carts and
wagons over the same territory.
There is clear saving to be made
by consumers trust, SO to speak,
operating everything from the first
to the last stage Of an economic
process, just as for a steel trust or
tobacco trust or an oil trust.
But the members of such a CO.
operative association will make a
mistake if they think such an Or
ganisation-doing a buying business
of hundreds of millions of dollars a
year, a selling business of hundreds
of millions of dollars a year more, a
warehouse business spread like a
network over the United States, a
distributing business equivalent to
the quartermaster's service of many
great armics-will make a mistake
if they think such a vast and coH.-
plicated business as that can be eff
ciently and successfully operated by
anything but the best possible man.
agement to be obtained in any other
way than by bidding for it in the
labor market-bidding for it against
the great private corporations which
know the almost priceless value to
great manufacturing industry, a
great transportation system, a great
merchandise concern, a great dis
tributing agency, of chief execu-
tives, managers and superintend-
ents that make the success Of an
enterprise where others in the same
field score failure.
Is it possible to man such an or
ganization as the proposed CO.
operative marketing association as
cold-bloodedly, with single eye to
efficiency, with a merciless coup de
grace to the man who doesn't de-
liver the goods, as it is in the great
railroad system or steel corporation
CT anything you please?
1t hasn't been so in the semi-sen-
timental enterprises of experience
1t hasn't been So in the charitable
and philanthropic organizations; il
hasn't been so in the Government
service. In one as in the other ad.
ministration and management are
for the most part and in the most
important posts by persons who got
there because they have a claim OF
loyalty or religious principle OIL
political doctrine or personal serv.
ice-or something like that.
This is the big problem of the pub
lie service in the control of politica
parties; it is the problem of any
service in the hands of human being;
cf any sort or condition moved II
their actions as mass by thei.
personal sympathy or prejudice OIL
friendliness or antagonism. In the
public service or the quasi-publi'
service that's the thing as against
impersonal, cold-blooded economic
efficiency-that's the big problem t.
solve.
We can wish the best of luck tt
the venture of the cooperative mar
keting association; but cold business
methods will do it more good thai
warm wishes.