The Washington times., 1916-09-20
Socialists Discuss
COOPERATIVE Buying
At Opening Session
Senator La Fontaine, of Belgium, Outlines Work of
Distrbutive Bodies in His Country-Dr. Sum-
ner Asserts War Has Shown Usefulness.


The second summer conference Of the
Intercollegiate Socialist Society held its
opening session at Sherwood Forest,
near Annapolis. last night with more
than 100 socialists, single takers,
millionaires, clersymen. and other econ
omlsts and socioiogists in attendance.
The conference will last a week.
holding It's closing session next Mon
day. The men and women who will
attend the sessions are said TO repre-
sent the largest universities and coll
leges in the United States. Radicals
and conservatives. militarists and anti
militarists are scheduled to present
their views.'S s3 ~
The addresses are given at the even
ing sessions and the discussion will be
taken up at The morning sessions.
"Socisl Preparedness" Topic.
The general topic for the, week IL $50
cial Preparedness--Nati and Inter-
national"
The subject Of last nights opening ses-
sion was Cooperation and Social Pre-
paredness."
The speakers were Senator Henri La
Fontaine, of Belgium, a winner Of one
OF the Nobel peace prizes; DIR. Helen l..
Sumner. Of the Federal Child Labor
president of the Cooperative League
DR.. Harry W. Ladder. Organising Sec
rotary OF the society, presided.
Senator La Fontaine. prior to the
European war, was the leader Of the
Belgium woman suffrage movement and
prominent figure In the European
peace movement. He gave the conference
an account Of the co-operative-d istribu-
tive societies OF Belgium, and presented
people.
Describes Cooperation Societies.
In Belgium. said Senator La Fon-
taine, there are two classes OF co..
operative distributive societies, the
socialist cooperative" and the "con-
sentative or Catholic cooperative"
The socialist" co-operatiyes are
strongest In the industrial centers,
while the conservative" co-opera-
tives predominant in the agricultural
sections.
Belgium is q country Of small far
mers, declared the speaker. There
are no large. farms. The farmers
are engaged almost clusively in the
production OF vegetables and dairy
products, for which a foreign market
has to be found"
The agricultural cooperative So
cieties are used by the farmers as
agencies for collective buying and
costs OF production.
Senator La Fontaine paid q tribute "a
the cooperative societies organized by
the working people OF the Industrial
centers such as Client and Brussels. In
Brussels the first cooperative distribu-
tive society was bakery with a capac-
lily OF 300 loaves a week. At the out
break of the war the Brussels co-opera.
tive bakery turned out $4,000 loaves q
week..
Evade the Middleman.
In Brussels alone 1900 people, mostly
heads of families. are members OF the
cooperative buying and selling societies
Senator La Fontaine declared that these
1900 heads of families included 100. 90,
people, or one-sixth OF the Population OF
Brussels. These 10000 people, he said
were supplying themselves with most OF
the necessities Of life without the ex.
pensive Intervention OF middlemcn dis.
tributers. and he saw no reason VIII,
the principle should not be extended &c
include the entire population.
Senator La Fontaine thought that tn,
9asic reason for The success OF tn,
Belgian co-operatiye societies was du,
to the ''idealistc'' snirit underlying
them. They are not conducted primar
lily for profit. he said. The articles ar,
sold to the members at the marke
price. The ''nrofts'' are devoted large
~ to sick and death benefits and to edu
cational work.
Up to a few years ago. said Senate
La Fontaine. the public schools OF Bel
GUM We're poorly supported by tn
government. Consequently, variou
groups had to organize free schools
to look after the education of thei
own children. The working peopl
through The surplus realized from thei
co-operatlve societies were able to es
tablish their own schools to educate tn,
workers In the fundamental principle
OF economies and citizenship. Now Il 4
different. Belgium has q Renera, com
pulsory educational law I'm to twelv,
years. while some of the cities have
fourteen-year nit.
DIR. Helen Sumner Speaks.
DIR. Helen L. Sumner declared tha
the stress OF the European war hat
| demonstrated that cooperative dis
tributive societies are much better abb,
to cope with the stress OF socia