Askov American., 1919-05-08
ECONOMIC EVILS
MUST Be CURED
Catholic Council Points Out De.
fects in Present System and
Advocates Cooperative
Reforms.

| Reforms.
| Scoring the evils OF monopoly by q
| small minority Of privileged capitalists
and advocating cooperative stores. Co
partnership and sufficient incomes for
the grea< majority Of wage-earners as
remedies for postwar economic condi-
tions In this country, the AdminIstra-
tive Committee Of four bishops repre-
| senting the hierarchy Of the Catholic
| Church In America In conducting the
| National Catholic War Counc. have
Issued the following as part Of an Of
ficial pronouncement ON economic and
| social reconstruction.
| Reduction In Cost Of Living.
"DurIng the war the cost OF living
| Las risen at least seventy five per cent
| above the level of 1913. Some check
has been placed upon the upward trend
| by government fixing OF prices In the
| case Of bread and coal and few other
commodities. Even II we believe II de.
/ NU NuHbOl dSN tuht koNVth
ment continue this action. after the ar
| ticles Of peace have been signed, fol
neither public opinion nor Congress Il
| ready for such revolutionary policy
| Ii the extOrtionate practices OF monop
| oily were prevented by adequate laws
and adequate law enforcement prices
would automatically be kept at as low
a level as that to which they might be
| brought by direct government determi
nation. Just what laws In addition to
those already on the statute books are
| necessary to abolish monOpolistic ex.
tortion is a question of detail that
| need not he considered here. In pass
ing, II may be noted that government
| competition with monOpolies that can
not be effectively restrained by the or
dinary antitrust laws deserves more
serious consideration than 1t has yet
| received.
Cooperative Stores.
"More important and more effective
than. any government regulation of
| prices would be the establishment OF
cooperative stores. The enormous toll
taken from industry by the various
classes Of mitldlemen II now fully real.
lied. The astonishing difference be-
tween the price received by the pro.
| ducer and that paid by the consumer
has become n scandal to our industrial
system, The obvious and direct means
Of reducing this discrepancy and abol-
isisng unnecessary middlcmen Ia the
operation Of retail and wholesale mer-
camille concerns under the ownership
| and management Of the consumers.
| This Is no Utopian scheme. II has
been successfully carried out In Eng.
land and Scotland through the Roch.
dale system. Very few serious efforts
Of this kind have been made In this
country because our people have no.
| felt the need OF these cooperative en-.
terprises as keenly as the European
working classes and because we have
been too impatient and too individual,
istlc to make the necessary sacrifices
and to he content with moderate bene-
hts and gradual progress. Neverthe-
less our superior energy, initiative and
commercial capacity will enable us
| N''N w SCt 0VNet WIG tHNN SuthcStiN
even to surpass what has been done in
England and Scotland,
Train to Habits Of Saving.
"ln addition to reducing the cost of
living, the cooperative stores would
train our working people and con-
sumers generally In habits of saAlng, In
careful expenditure. In business meth.
ods and In the capacity for co-opera.
ton. When the working classes have
learned To make the sacrifices and to
exercise the patience required by the
ownership and operation OF co-opera-
tive storeethey will be equipped TO un-
dertake a great variety Of tasks and
| projects which benefit the community
immediately and all It's constituent
me,nbers ultimately. They will then
realize the folly Of excessive selfish
ness and senseless individmssm. Until
they have acquired this knowledge,
training and capacity, desirable exten.
sions Of governmental action In indus
try will not be attended by normal
amount Of success. No machinery of
| government can operate autona tically
| and no official and bureaucratic admin.
| istration of such machinery can ever
| te a substitute for intelligent interest
and cooperation by the individuals OF
the community
| Ultimate ReformA
"ltesplte the practical and imme
aiate character af the present state,
ment. we cannot entirely neglect the
question of ultimate aims and sys,
tematic program. for other groups are
busy issuing such systematic pre-.