East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1918-03-11
eliminate War Experiences and OBJ
servations of Lowell Mellett, United
Press Staff Correspondent

SerVat1onS OF Lowell Meliett, Unteu
Press Staff Correspondent
LONDON, Jan. S.-(By MaiL)-
There was a margarine queue IN
Kings Road as l came downtown this
morning The snow of last night had
! become slush, the sidewalks were wet
and some of those in the queue,
crowded off the sidewalk. stood in
slush of the street, An icy wind was
blowing.
The noon editions of the afternoon
newspapers reported margarine and
meat queues in many other parts of
the city, in most every part, In fact
where there was margarine on sale.
A short time ago the prime minis
ter speaking on the food situation,
remarked significantly, There are
no food queues outside the Co-Opera-
tive stores" So l went down into
Aldersgate this afternoon to ask the
co-operators why. Wholesale socie-
ties-as big a wholesale house as I'd
ever seen in America-I was referred
to b. Williams head of the Co-OpeTa-
tive Union, whose office had been
crowded by the growth of business
into one of the overflow buildings in
nearby street.
THE trouble" said b. Williams, lis
that the government has not yet real
lied that we are at war, or it has not
carried the realization into our COM
mercial life. The plain fact is that
the function of controlling the peo-
pies food never should have been put
into the hands of any man whose
life training has been profitmaking.
His experience in life has been such
as to totally unfit him for such a
post
Several months ago when Lord De-
vonport. himself a commission mer-
chant, was retiring from the job of
food controller, williams was suggest
ed as a possible successor. The sug-
gestion apparently did not get very
far. Trying to visualize him in the
role 1 fell to wondering why he look
ed so familiar and where I could have
seen him before. Suddenly it came
to me that it wasn't any single per-
son he reminded me of but a sort of
composite person. He had the look
about him of those various clerks at
different stores that my mother al
ways used to ask for when she want
ed to be sure Of what she was get
ting. He looked reliable and gave the
impression of wishing to serve, rather
than to sell
He would look quite at home today
behind the counter of one Of my
mothers favoTite stores and yet here
he is head of the CO-Operative Union.
To make this mean something. 1t
might be mentioned that the cooper
ators have the largest flour mills in
the world and one of the largest shoe
factories: that there are 100000 of
them; that the immense building
around the corner is only one of many
and not by any means the largest
that their own bank in the last quar-
ter did a business Of s375,0OO,0OO.
THE control of food supplies" said
Williams, should have been entrust-
ed to a board, who have had expert |
ence in cooperation. All the talk just
now is of unity and coordination. but
they don't apply it to the crying need /,
of the food situation. Such a board
Of control should have had wide ad- I
and executive powers It's .
sole object for existence should have |
been to see that all available food !
stuffs were bought at the most rea-
sonable prices and equitably distrib-
uted at the most economical cost. /
THE trouble from which the peo-
pie have suffered most during the .
last three and a half years has been .
the impossibility Of getting Mr.. Lloyd .
George and his fantastic caravan of
assorted antiques to realize the nation
is at war. Before the food situation
grows too serious for salvation there
ought to be a bold and perematory
demand for the dismissal of fhe pres
snt army of incompetents from the
numerous food departments and tho
Of capable bodies Of COM
and managers"
Where are you going to find all
his talent?" asked.
well. we've always found it,"
"You must pay d pretty good price
'or it."
3. Williams laughed. "The mem
)ers OF our board Of managers get /
ust $4,000 a year each" Is
How do you keep them?
Most Of them have grown up in
he cooperative movement and thor
,ughly believe IN It. They prefer the Z
ervice they are rendering to the prof !
{ they might be making once IN a
ong while. OF course. one is tempted 2
W a big salary that a concern insig- /
ificant In sizc-com pared to ours, can e