Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1914-02-06

ANHeh.- nat WOulu you &c "
~ you had s10,00O,0O0? The ques
ton was thrown at Ernest K
Coulter, former clerk of the childrens
court and founder of the Big Brother
movement. by representative of the
New YorB, World.
"Umph!" said Mr.. Coulter. laying
aside the legal paper from which he
had been debating, that's about what
1t costs 10 build a first-class dread
nought.
You're asking me to answer off
hand question which good many
men seeui to be unable to answer in
a lifetime. Then they die and the
lawyers answer it their way. But
there ss one thing sure; we could dc
something better with 1t than build
a dreadnought. What's the one big
need in New York city," Mr.. Coult.
er paused a few seconds before an
swcring his own question.
It's food" he said.
No. Mr.. Coulter wasn't thinking OF
buying $10,000,000 worth of food. He
was thinking of the lives that are
wasted in the struggle to get food
and how much of this waste it would
be possible to stop.
Il wonder how much cooperation,
he said, could be brought about with
$10,0OO,000?
Produce raised near New York city
often passes through Is different
hands before it reaches the consumer
The poor farmers can't raise food on
the prices they get, and the poor folks
can't buy it at the prices they have to
pay-the original cost and six or eight
or ten profits besides
item No. 1.--One Cooperative Food
Supply Association, $75o,ooo.
We've talked good DEAL" said
Mr.. Coulter, about the producer get
ting his goods to the consumer. Sup
pose we begin at the other end and
get the consumer to take over the
production. 1t seems as though a city
could provide itself with food in the
same way it provides itself with wa
ter. But the city won't do that until
IL learns how. This little cooperative
experiment might help to point the
way" Mr.. Coulter figured that d
model retail store capable of supply
ing 10000 people would cost, all told
between $500, 600 and 100000. This
would include land. building, stock
and working capital. He threw in
the balance for special experiment
itch accassfnIa farms
The co-operatives of England he
said, are raising grain in other lands
and carrying it to their own country in
their own cooperative ships. 1t should
be worth 100000 or SC to see wheth
er an organization OF New York con
sinners would have intelligence
enough TO operate few good farms
They can't do it unless they Sc
cure expert management For thai
matter. the whole scheme Will fai
unless it Is managed we'll. The people
win have to learn how by experience
THAT seems to be the only way we car
learn anything | think, though, thai
one store is hardly sufficient test.
stem No. 2.-Another Cooperative
Food Supply Association, S75,ooo.
I,-tails of how to capitalize a CO
onerative association, where the CO
onerators are without capital Mr.
coulter could not give off-hand. He
wanted to be sure of large member
shin and he wanted il 70 be really co
cnerative. Perhaps. ne thought. he
would stake 10000 or so people in
each of the districts with FIVE dollars
aach ON longtime credit with no Sc
curity. The new state law limits the
amount of any single stakeholder:
holdings and no one, not even the mar
Who furnishes all the capital, car
have more than one vote, But Mr.
,,onIfer saw no reason why he couldnt
tand the co-operatives the balance O
the capital. with the understanding
snat stock TO that amount should re
10 IN the treasury until SOLD 10 in
coming members
p,,t food is only one OF the prob
,ams of the city-the city which Mr.
ra,,,ter has painted as an institution
sor The wasting Of human life
Most people need place TO ea
- sleep: and it is the housing
aana;tions which are cost easily con
nscted with this awful waste