The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-29
A.LEssoN IN COOPERATION.

AZ LESSON In OO-OHEaAI1ON.
After all. the people demand serv-
ice and are willing to pay for it il they
cannot obtain it otherwise. Prosper
ity and contentment depend more
upon an increasing income than upon
a decreasing outgo. Economy may
be an aid to obtaining a competency,
but a growing income must be the
chief dependence. These truths are
called to mind by the closing of CO.
operative store conducted by en-
ployes of the treasury department in
Washington.
The store was not a government
undertaking in any respect, unless,
perhaps. the employees had the use of
some government space in buildings
for their enterprise. The scheme was
started in an effort to beat the high
cost of living, in the belief that by
buying wholesale the large group
of employees could get supplies at
prices lower than charged by the re-
tail stores There were originally
some $500 members of the co-opera-
tive association but LOO dropped
out. Each of them had paid in a
membership fee OF SIS as working
capital and the 1900 got their mon
ey back. Whether the remaining
$500 will get all or a considerable
part of their Investment remains to
be seen.
Press dispatches say that the rea-
son for the abandonment of the CO.
operative store was that the store
could not compete in service with the
chain stores which are located in all
parts of the city and which provided
the members of the association with
convenient sources of supply near
their homes. Those who bought from
the association store were compelled
to carry their purchases home on the
street cars, and, quite likely, found
themselves subjected to much delay
in obtaining service because there was
only one store to serve the 5000
members.
This matter of service is a large
factor in all kinds of business, and it
is in this respect that government
operation, or any sort of communistie
operation fails. One of the early acts
Of the railroad administration was to
consolidate the ticket offices of the
various railroad companies in the
larger cities. On the face of it. this
was an economy. There was a mani
fest saving in rents; there was an ap-
parent saving in clerical assistance.
and there may have been other indi-
cations Of economy. But the public
did not like the consolidation, and. on
return of the roads to private man
agement, the separate ticket offices
are being opened again. With the
consolidated ticket office in control of
all the ticket selling, the patron could
take the service he was given or go
without. With separate ticket offices
ready to serve the public, there is al
ways the incentive to please patrons
in order that their patronage may be
retained.
Press dispatches do not tell us what
Kind of personal attention the men,
bers of the cooperative store asso-
citation at Washington received. but
unless human nature be different
there from what it is elsewhere, the
tendency was for the managers of the
cooperative store to be lax in their
efforts to please. The managers had
no particular incentive to work over
time in order to please their custom
ers. The chain stores made every eff
fort to please, and, in addition, were
SO situated as to enable them to give
a more convenient service.
Selling combinations are almost
uniformly successful, but buying COM
binations usually fail sooner or later
Few enterprises succeed when divest-
ed of the element of personal interest
and reward.