Evening journal., 1916-07-14
BY MILAN PHuIP SnMS.

Omitted Press Staff Correspondent)
PETROGRAD. June 16.-(By Mail)
Until now we Russians have been
building upon sand At last we are
commencing to build on rock and our
work will stand"
] have just had an interview with
that great friend of Russia, Nicholas
Tchaykovsky. member Of the Central
Cooperative Committee OF Petrograd,
and we'll known in the United States
where ten years ago he founded
American committees IN New York,
Chicago. Boston, Philadelphia, Balti-
more. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Denver
and elsewhere.
Tried as a revolutionist and acquit-
ted after being liberated from prison
on bail furnished principally by Eng
llsh and American friends, the old
man is now the happ'est soul in all
Russia. All his life he has tried to
help the people. Now he believes he
IS succeeding. as Cooperative Society
organizer. building on rock because
the foundation of the nation, the peas
ants-who constitute so per cent. Of
the population, are progressing.
I found Tchaykovslxy at his desk in
the headquarters building OF the Cen
tral Cooperative Committee, SS
Zhukovskago. His snow-white head
was bent over a pile of papers and his
long silvery beard fell below the edge
OF the desk by some inches. AS ! en-
tered he looked up. his rather dell
cate face beaming with pleasure
please sit down." he said. Lighting
Russian cubeb with a patented
lighter, he told the story of the great
est cooperative institution in the
world, an institution which Is work
ing wonders for the peasants. conse-
quently for the Empire as whole.
II seems that the first attempts al
cooperation began, as did the zem'
stvo institutions. about 1866. shortly
after serfdom was abolished and hall
the land turned over to the now free
peasants. These attempts took the
form Of cooperative credit concerns
but. though numerous. each was IN.
dependent of the others, and remained
for long time quite feeble.
In 1870 Prince Vassilchikog became
Interested and, with NJ. Yakoulef, OF
Moscow. founded in that city a COM
mittee for village Cooperative So
ciety work the object of which was
20 promote cooperative societies all
over the Empire. get them started, ad-
wise them and help them keep going
The Petrograd Department as It is
called, was opened two years later
and soon outstripped the parent con.
Germ. which for many years stood
practically still. The Russian Gov
ernment encouraged the movement a
first helping il get under way, thougl
until recent years progress was still
below.
In the last 10 years the socieue
have grown like mushrooms. Their
are now over $4,000 Of them, and 4
addition 70 the credit cooperative
there are Agricultural (producers'
and Consumer Societies from on
Z end OF the country to the other.
In Siberia alone there are NOR
than 1900 Societies. all three kind
credit producers and consumers
being strongly represented. They owl
their own lines OF steamers, do thes'
Siberian socities; have their owl
bank in London and despite the war
did an eighteen-millionl business II
1915.
You have heard a lot about one sid'
OF Siberia. What about this one?
The growth Of the Siberian coop
erative societies is typical OF the rest
Butter is the principal product deal
in by the peasants there and afte
they had been helped in their bushes
by the society first,to be formed, the
felt the need OF market
Private butter concerns existed 1
sufficiently large number there. an
their methods OF doing business wer
no cleaner, as a rule than their but
ter-which was putrid.
They faxed up all sorts Of filth
substances and sold u as butter, an
after a time the peasants, who ha
found markets difficult enough a