Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-06-15
Revive the "Home Club"
To Reduce Expenses
To the Editor Of The Star

To the Editor Of The Star:
The onslaught made upon incomes
and salaries of Government clerks In
Washington and the disposition of
some stores to increase the prices Of the
necessaries of life would seem to call for
an awakening among the Federal work
ers and an attempt to meet the situa-
| ton.
Various attempts at cooperative buy
| ing on large scale have been made In
| this city, with Indifferent success. When
times were reasonably good and there
was no menace to the pay OF clerks they
did not see why they should bestlr
| themselves to save money. but now the
! time has come for serious action. Co.
| operative buying units should be formed
on a larger scale than tried heretofore
to meet the cuts in pay and possible In
come taxes that threaten double bur
den to the already poorly paid workers
| for Uncle Sam.
Perhaps the most ambitious plan ever
| tried in this city to help the Govern
| ment employees was the Home Cluo, Or
ganized In the Department OF the In
terror by Secretary Franklin K.
Lane in 1915, or perhaps little
earlier. Seventeen hundred employees
of that department., each paying
cues Of SO cents month, Sc
| cured reductions in the purchase prices
of groceries and other commodities rang
ing from about 10 to IS per cent. A board
of directors. with Secretary Lane at the
head, was formed of officials, who served
/ without pay and outside Of working
| hours, and in turn there were commit
tees and subcommittee from the same
| source who came in contact with
sources of food and other supplies, which
enabled the members Of the Home Club
to secure those supplies at wholesale
| prices or less saving their membership
| fees many times over. A paid manager
| attended to the business OF collectlon
and distribution Of groceries, etc. The
writer was chairman Of the Committee
, on Food Supply and succeeded In Sc
curing farm produce, canned goods
meats, etc. at wholesale prices. The
| late E. j. Ayers. then chief clerk OF the
Interior Department and later holoing
| the same position in the Department OF
| State. was one of the first proponents
| of this Home Club and a leading direc-
| tor. and later was interested In the
opening OF cafeterias in Government
| buildings. The results were far-reach-
| ing and important. and Mr.. Lane was
so enthusiastic about 1t that he endeav-
ored to organize q consolidated Home
| Club and cooperative buying units Tor
all department clerks in washington.
Mr.. C. ]. Medzikhovski. then CONNER
J cial attache of the Russian embassy
| took much interest In this movement
and assured this writer that without CO.
operative buying the employees OF the
Russian government could not exisst;
OF course, the retail merchants OF the
! city did not relish the situation. and
! they took steps to combat the Home
| Clubs cooperative operation. Inc
Home Club. fostered by one Of the most
brilliant men ever in the Federal en-
ploy and aided by the volunteer efforts
Of numbers OF devoted followers. went
out OF business, although there are
various cooperative buying units still
| in existence.
The writer recently purchased dozen
eggs at q chain store where the prices
are supposed to be at minimum.
There was some objection to the price,
and a clerk in the store adritte5 to the
| customer that he himself was buying
eggs from a farm delivery wagon for 7
cents under the store price. and that
| was at least cents over the ORDINARY
wholesale price as shown in the daily
market reports.
! No one wishes to undermine the re-
I tail business. but the interests OF tne
public and especially those Of the
mothers and fathers Of families, many
! of whom are about to have their source
| Of income curtailed. are paramount.
! 1t Is better that the already swollen
| incomes Of some merchants should
suffer 4 little than that the bread
! winners and supporters Of children and
other dependents should be driven to
/ the wall to meet their living expenses.
What is needed is for Federal employees
to organize on a grand scale on the
lines of a big home club to buy food
, and other supplies by the trainload, if
necessary. from farms and factories.
and meet the situation. In view Of
the low and still falling prices Of bread
grains. the price Of bread has no excuse
for remaining at the present figure. and
1t is the same with other comm ODDITIES.
The remedy is organization for CO.
operative buying.
LINDSAY s. PERKINS.