New-York tribune., 1921-05-15
Racial Antagonist,
'Handicaps Belgian
cooperative Unions
c Consumers Organixa,;e,,
in Holland Also Eneouns
Ter Difficulties, but tbs
Issue Is Religious Tbers

- 'Ne'iShS VI cooperative snS
Holland and Belgium, accord;r,. IN
correspondent Of The Man., ~ a
guardian, has been hanpered bv i.
injection OF racial and religious is.ns' s
The trouble is more grave IN NJ
gum, but IS far from unknown in NJ
land. The Central Union of CAM aol-
tive Distributiye Societies in HolIs.s
formed in 1920 by an amalgamatia,
two rival unions, is in theory ~.
trail body, but the seven CathoEc y
ganizations stand apart from Il VI
this opposition causes the union r. a
regarded, and IN soBle degree. dasn,.s
the efforts Of broad-minded leadss i.s =.
evitably to become "elass" or ssos,.s
ist" or "free-thinking' body.
1t is not suggested that these o.s,
tiles are good or bad; in a coonerst;-.
organization they and their opnos;ts.
are merely out Of place In Below,
the central organization, the "oficscs
operatif Beige" is admittedly an ~
herent of the Labor party, TO wbirs
every one OF its societies, and eon.a
quently of their 100000 members. mn.,
be affiliated. La Cooperatif Beige, -
the other hand, is a Catholic un;on
supported by 400 consumers societies
with perhaps 100000 members. ava
Clerical in politics. There is also
federation. non-political and non.con
bative, of 10000 cooperators in goysr5.
ment employ, principally in the rail.
ways.
1t is obvious that this cleavage Is
from the cooperative point Of view
futile and unmeaning; any slight ad.
dition to strength which either faction
may derive from the unanimity Of ifs
members is more than outweighed by
the weakening of its bargaining power
and by the exclusion of persons who
would be excellent co0perators, but
emay be hihdered by shibboleth from
Joining their local society.
Belgian Issue Racial
A society in an English town which
should confine its membership to Wes.
leyans, Baptists or Anglicans wouH
soon be laughed out of the market
But the breach is even wider. The
agricultural credit movement in Ho
land is federated in the two eentrsl
banks of Utrecht and Eindhoven. the
former neutral" but in practice con
tanning few save Protestant societies.
tility between the banks; their methods
are similar and their cooperative OBJ
jects Identical; meanwhile, they com
pete in every province, and there are
instances of rival societies supported
by them in the same village. The waste
of energy resulting from this overlap
ping is a serious loss.
In Belgium the line of division is
racial, rather than religious, since
Protestants are few. The Boerenbond
of Louvain is the Catholic union work
ing in the five Flemish provinces OF the
north and west, while independent,
though friendly unions, also Catholic,
operate in the Walloon provinces of the
south and east. The unfortunate re
suits of such partition were seen dur
ing the var, when only the Boerenbond
''oteiun} tee cohesion snd the economic
strength necessary for functioning IN
der the pressure of hostile occupa-
tion; the smaller federations of the
Walloon country either worked with
less success or practically collapsed.
Germans Foster Antagonism
At the present moment sharp an
tagonism Of feeling prevails between
Fleming and Walloon, an antagonism
which was encouraged by the German
authorities for political purposes OF
their own. There is constant danger
and certain amount Of evidence that
this animosity may creep In to spoil
the good relations existing between the
federations and to prevent their closer
alliance. A good co0perator who hap
pens also to be strong partisan is
tempted to use his influence for other
than cooperative ends, a policy which
must eventually disrupt the society
The tendency toward GENERALIZATION
of power while leaving local au-
tonomy of administration is felt 70
both countries, as in England, and the
inconvenience caused by rivalres,
under system of government control
Of distribution and of prices during
the war has stimulated the desire for
unity. The number of societies IS
diminishing. while the membership
grows, and in Liege the Union
Cooperate was formed in 1913 ny
the merging of more than ninety so
cieties in one unit, which row pos
sesses 228 shops in 1870 places, ana eA'
tends its activity Throughout lhs
nrovince OF Liege and into part Of
four surrounding provinces.
Each local center holds admlnlsfa'
tive meetings and sends delegates 70
centra! meeting. Owing TO the expense
Of travelling, q scheme to dlYlde .pr
central meeting into sections, as IN las
English C. ". S.. is being consiaefe1
The Eooruit Society, of Ghent, IS slmi
lar!v spreading over the province o.
Fast Flanders and absorbing local ~
cieties. n;.
On grounds of business economy this
tendency has everything to recomheHS
it in England, where the process W "
unifcation has been continuous, W.
slow. Our co0perators must, noWeN.a,
be cautious that they 90 not depIns
the individual of his local lntefes.,
there is no remedy for grumDiihg
effective as TO place the grumoicT -
authority; the local committee ss Nus,
not be left in the position OF me-.
agents Of headquarters, with 10 p0"s-
to decide minor questions. ;o
A problem before the cooperatoi =
all countries in which the eonsuHl.
and the producers movements are a .a,o
ouately developed is to bring tneih -.
relation with one anothe..
In Holland and Belgium, containing
they do large peasant populatlCsAi, ,bs
is obvious that Naturalization Oh w
land, or its requirement by orgahn
tions Of consumers, is not matls. .y y
practical politics. Hitherto, nows;,,;s no.;,;.y
there has not grown up that nosi'l.s
between associated consumers sna
sociated producers which is begln"i
to appear in England. The aD1ss sela
producers in Belgium In 1913 ana a5;ss iy.
was largely due to a misunderstalnIaf =
Of their position under Son'r,o. ,,.r
prices, and the quarrel IS no i0nss
acute. 80. nsw
The English agriculturist, beng n3It n';It
organized in cooperative sociesiess', ,s.l sl
similarly resist naturalization o. ,srs. ,s