Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-03
by G. GOULD LINCOLN.

NEACE having brought no relief
- from the high cost Of living.
Congress and the President,
urged on by the people, are
turning their attention to this ques-
tion. which is giving far more con-
Germ to many people in this country
than the ratification of the treaties
with France and Germany.
Many remedies have been suggested.
A few of the most widely discussed
follow:
Reform in the system Of distribu-
ton of foodstuffs and other neces-
saries.
Reform in the system of Transports
tion Of foodstuffs.
Control of the packers. especially
the big five, and other manufacturers
and producers of foodstuffs.
Cooperative purchasing and SELL
ing on a large scale, SO as to bring
the producer and the consumer close
together and thus eliminate the prof
its which now go into the. pockets Of
the middlemen.
The gradual retirement of a large
= amount Of the currency which is now
in circulation and which has led to
imitation and to the cheapening Of
money.
Admit They Are Puzzled.
The legislators frankly admit that
they are puzzled as to what they can
do through enactment of laws to re-
form the systems of distribution and
transportation. Some of the govern
ment officials have put forth the sug-
gestion that reforms in distribution
and transportation. bringing the con-
sumner and the producer more closely
together, viii solve the problem Of
high living costs. or at least will do
away with much Of the profiteering
which. it is said. has been going on.
On the other hand. officials who have
studied these questions say tNsy see
no way to make such reforms.
IF the people wanted reforms in
portation system they would have
them." one OF these officials said.
The men whose business 1t is to dis
tribute and to transport foodstuffs
government already has provided the
parcel post, and the Post Office De-
partment and the bureau Of markets
have co-operated to aid the people in
purchasing direct from the farmers
made In city marketing, and in mo-
tor transportation from farm to con-
sumner. But in spite OF all this work,
f the people continue as e purchase their
nearest store, over the telephone, on
credit, for delivery, and in other
ways that add greatly to the cost.
There is an old saying that one
ten men cannot make him drink. The
government has shown the way, and
has provided facilities TO aid the
people In purchasing cheaply. They
must 90 the rest of the way them
one Promising Project.
Out Of the ruck Of all these sug-
Eestions and propositions to reduce
stands forth that gives much promise
the cooperative wholesale buying
and selling of food and other neces-
sartes. In the hrst place. such a plan
q tremendous success in Great Britt
AIN. It has been tried out in France
and Germany also. OF greater inter-
est to Americans. probably, are the
results obtained in England, since
the people of the United States and
that country are more on all tours
than are the peoples of the United
states ana other countries.
IN england. the great G. W. S-Co-
operative Wholesale 5ociety-has 4
history that may well be studied nv
Americans. Before the war broke out.
this huge organization had more than
100000 members. and did business
each year that almost staggers the i'm.
agination- And the people who bene-
nted by the operation were practi-
cally all wage earners.
II is proposed that similar co-opera-
i've organizations for selling ana pur-
CHASING be established by the pro-
ducers and consumers in this country.
In this country there has been a vast
amount OF Organization" among the
iaoorers for higher wages, among the
manufacturers and finally among fhe
farmers So far the ultimate con.
sumner. however, has failed to take
advantage Of the power of oreaniza-
tion. in some quarters If has been
suggested that the American In foo
ind1v1duahsttc for such system: that
he likes to go out into the market and
bargain for himself. and is willing to
bargain possible.
With the producers we'll organized.
the consumer Is taking a large chance
IL he insists upon standing alone in
the markets. The organized producers
and distributors applaud always the
indtvidualistic idea, 1t has been noted.
Not New In This Country.
Cooperative buying is not new in
this country. It Is in operation on a
small scale in Washington today,
among some of the government em-
pIoyes IN fact, there are cooperative
purchasing associations in the Post
Once Department, the Bureau of
standards and elsewhere, which have
greatly benefited their members. In
the rural districts of the west and
middle west, cooperative buying has
been going on also, on larger scala.
But the instances have been sporadic
and uncorrelated. The supporters of
cooperative purchasing insist that
only through great movement for
cooperative buying can the real bene
At OF such a system to the people of
the United States be felt
In the hrst place, they say. unless
the plan Is developed on q very large
scale, there will be boycotting by some
OF the large producers and whole
eaiers ana the movement may result
In nothing. The plan, they contend
should include the linking up OF a
la-ge number of cooperative whole-
sale societies, thus giving strength.
Senator Capper of Kansas. who In
taking keen interest in the high
cost OF living problem, Is preparing
q bill for Introduction in the Senate
which will specifically authorize the
chartering Of such cooperative