Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-01-13
CALIFORNIA SCENE OF NEW Ex-
PERTINENT IN MUTUAL WORK
AND LIVING METHODS.
COLONY NOW NUMBERS
ABOUT 700 MEMBERS
Efforts so Far Devoted to Housing and
to Cultivation of Soii-lrrisatio Re-
sorted to and Water Supply Being
Developed Attracts Attention OF
Bureau of Labor.
Especial Correspondence

Washington, Jan. 13.-The fact that
an experiment is being made in the
conduct of an important new cooper
ative colony in the Antelope Valley,
Los Angeles county, California, has
escaped general attention. A few
students of econ3mics and of sociol-
ogy have given it notice but it has re-
manned for the bureau of labor sta
/. tistics in it's monthly review to give
I official, expression to the facts about
{ It IN; /: way to cali it to the mind Of
the public. -.----,
81 The colony is known as the Llano
i-det Rio colony. and, according to Hugh
S. Hanna, who. describes il for the
bureau of labor statistics, it was start
ed about a year and half ago by a
: small group of individuals with prac-
: ticaily no capital. Now, there are be-
tween 500 and 700 persons residents at
the colony and the property owned in
cludes about 5000 acres of cultivated
land. ''2
"a The the colony is still in it's pioneer
stage and >outwardly is in many ways
raw and crude, it is said that. the ex-
pertinent IN cooperative government
and cooperative living has progressed
2 far enough to m crit thoughtful atten-
ton The Antelope Valley Is in the
southern part Of, California. abous
forty, miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Tie valley is a vast semidesert plain,
with excellent climate, fertile under
irrigation. ond adapted to a large
variety Of crops and fruits For irri
cation, the colony has thus far used
simply the natural flow of water from
the mountain creeks but by the build
ing of a large dam a water supply for
about 10000 acres can be readily Sc
cured.
On Original Lines.
The Llano colony in respect Of COM
mon ownership and cooperative PROF.
duction is akin to the cooperative ex-
periments Of the past but in its or
Ea1iZation and business methods and
to some extent in its aims, II is said
to differ in many essentials from any
Of it's predecessors. II is not based on
any dogma or creed except belief in
cooperation as business and social
principle Nearly If not all the indi-
viduals attracted TO 1t are socialists
, but there are no requirements as to
party affiliation or creed subscription
It's external organization is similar
. terprise. It Is organized as a corpora
ton under the laws Of California, with
a capital Of 100000. divided into
shares Of 81 each. Every subscriber
must take 1000 shares Of stock, pay
ment to be made partly in cash. part
" IN future labor. No dividends are
to be declared in the usual sense of
the term. The division of all income
is on the basis of work done. A days
labor Is the unit Of measurement. All
members are to receive the same in
come to the extent they work the same
number Of days and all labor skilled
and unskilled, manual and mental. is
regarded as of the same social value
and to be rewarded on the same basis.
Women as well as men may be active
members and wives, II they desire, may
be subscribers and participate in regu-
lar work on the same terms as their
husbands
All land and all means Of production
are owned by the company but there
is no attempt further than this. at
communal living. Each family has it's
own house and arranges it's house
keeping and domestic life as it sees
fit
Housing and Farr7fna,
Thus far active work has been con-
centrated on farming and the housing
of the residents. AT present, there are
about 200 tents and small brick houses
in which the families live and a large
central hotel where the single men are
accommodated. Work is beginning on
permanent town site If the pre-
pared plans are carried thru, there will
result a modern town, laid out on
scientific lines. substantially and at
tractively built, ding to Mr..
Hanna. 1t is the purpose of the COL
ony to be entirely self sufficient so far
as labor is concerned and as indus
triaily self-sufficienI as may be pos
sible. The present residents represent
practically all the important trades
and professions. In addition to farm
ing, the colony has established a big
fish hatchery. is making its own brick.
running its own planning mill and OPP
Grating its machine shop. A shoe fac