The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-17
OXFORD MEN LAUNCH
COOPERATIVE STORES
Undergraduates Seek to Elimi-
nate Middleman in Max.
ing Purchases.
LARGE AMOUNT INVOLVED
Tradesmen Of University Town
Begin Bitter Fight Against
New Scheme.
Special Correspondence 10 Tnr sux.

Special Correspondence 10 THH SuS
LONDON. May s-An interesting expert
mcnt in bookkeeping In being made this
term at oxford. A number Of undergrad
yates. helped by some senior members
of the university. have made themselves
responsible for the oxford University
Cooperative stores" The idea Ia. Of course.
90 work the stores on ordinary cooperative
principles. getting rid of the mlddleman
and dividing profts over running expenses
among the purchasers.
The oxford undergraduate Ia very
considerable shopper. In addition to or
binary clothing. sports requisites. tobacco,
cigars, cigarettes, wines and spirits which
he buys In large quantities. he II also a lar 20
purchaser of all sorts of provisions.
The UNDERGRADUATE takes breakfast nd
luncheon In his own rooms. dinner being
served in the college dining hall. For break
fast hot dishes of all kinds and cold meats
are ordered from the college kitchens For
luncheon cold meats and sweets and cheese
are ordered in the same way. These pro-
visions are Of good quality, well cooked
and moderate enough In price. Dinner
In hall IN also really good well cooked
dinner. and very cheap. though the UNDER
graduate Rrumbles at IL "a consistently
IA any London clubman srumbles at his
clubs kitchen department.
But the undergraduate consumes tons
OF other provisions outside the staple
necessities OF the ordinary meal. Break
fast and luncheon always finish with large
helpinss Of marmalade or jam. A. lunch
con too biscuits and cakes are eaten. Then
there Is afternoon tea. The under era duats
takes his afternoon tea "a regularly rs
and much HEARTILY hau lat,
dame.
Tea and Cake I'm Large Quantities.
Vast quantities OF mullins and buns,
Of cakes and Of biscuits are consumed every
afternoon by the Undergraduate. The
tea and all these other provisions ar.
bought either from the oxford trades men
or the Junior Common Room. n sort of pro-
vision depart ment run in every college
supposedly for the benefit OF the UNDER
graduate.
The promoters Of the University Coz
operative Stores say that they are out
against the Junior Common Rooms, rather
than against the oxford tradesmen They
point out that the same quality OF sugar
sold by the Common Rooms at + cents q
pound can be sold by them at s, while tea.
for which the Common Rooms charge o.
cents pound. they sell at - cents.
Cigarettes. OF which the sale IL enormous,
are 30 cents per 100 cheaper at the newly
opened stores than In the Common Rooms
And so II IL with jams and marmalade
cakes and biscuits and countless other
sundries on which undergraduates spend
In the aggregate huge sums OF money.
What applies to the Common Rooms
applies equally to the oxford tradsemen
The latter gives long credit and his charges
are high In proportion.
Many object to Move.
OF course there are directors to the
new move. for oxford IL nothing IL not
conservative. The steward OF Christ Church
the largest college in Oxford. writes to the
Times:
our university reformers have yet 10
establish the degrees In commerce which
| find favor In some other institutions Men
do not come to Oxford to learn to be shop
| Keepers. They have countless other duties
interests and occupations, and those who's,
business Il is To guide and control their et>l-
! cation might we'll be better employed in
sticking 20 the work they are paid for than
In encouraging juvenile energies and enthu
siasms To ind vent in such fantastic and
probably costly enterprises a. this 4"
| 10 which the secretary of the cooperative
| society replies that they can supply tn,
| steward Of Christ Church or anybody els.
with goods at % to 10 per cent, cheaper than
they can be bought in the Christ Church
Common Rooms
! The oxford tradesrnen naturally obiec,
| strongly to the new scheme. SO much sc
! indeed that the secretary OF the Cooper
alive Society writes in the Times that though
they are not against the oxford trades
/ men as such. yet when We sent to whole
Iva f.v at.. A..
and found that some OF them had beer
got at by Oxford tradesinen who tried
to stop our supplies II was annoying. II
the tradesinen had left Ia alone We shoul,
not have said anything but when they de
clered war we had to take notice OF it."
Whatever may he the result of this ey
! Irriinent OF oxford men as traders, "A zoo,
start was made The new shop opened
last Saturday and at the end Of the day IN,
honorary secretary reported
We have done twic. as much trade a.
| Wa expected. We have nearly sold out
our tennis racdue,s. We have had to ordel
double the quantities OF jams and other
things we had IN stock and ". have prac
/ tically sold out. We have also sold a 10,
/ or cakes, spirit stoves and lamps and a larg.
quantity OF special cigarettes We have
/ had orders for lunch baskets which we ar,
selling at about four shillings cheaper
than these articles can be obtained In tn,
| town.
| II may he wondered why oxford under
graduates should be such large purchaser,
"f spirit lamps and stoves. The explana
tion IL the tea habit. The undergraduate,
/ makes his own tea, and in tho summer h,
| does not want fire in his room 10 bol
his kettle with for breakfast. Afternoon
tea and often ut night. Also he makes tea
on the river in the summer afternoons
Tor the undergraduate must have his tes
when It's tea time This one meal may
indeed be sufficient 10 bring success :,
the new stores without the assistance OF
the pajsmas, golf balls and other thing,
nent oied as SO far among tho "bes,
| sellers"
Among the committeeman of the Co.
operative Society are Viscount Cranborne
Lord Salisbury's eldest son. and T.. II
Burgess and A. /. A. Richie. two Mazda,
| len undergraduates who are two OF IN,
Prince of Wales's closest varsity friends.
INDIAN CHIEF RECALLED.