Montana labor news., 1936-06-18
American Coop Staging
Peaceful Economic
Revolution
Declares Noted Journalist in Vol
ume on Consumers Coopera-
ton.
Goo. League Now Service

Coop. League News Service
New Misunderstanding the Consum-
ers Cooperative movement as a peace
full economic revolution, Bertram B.
Fowler, economic commentator and
former member OF the editorial staff
OF the Christian Science Monitor, de-
clared in Consumer Cooperation in
America" just published by Vanguard
Press, The growth OF Consumer Co.
operation is the phenomenon, as yet
unrecognized, OF the depression"
Pointing to the fact that 100000
members of cooperatives in the L. S.
are now doing a non-profit business Of
a million dollars a day, Mr.. Fowler
says in his study OF Consumer CO.
operation in America" that while the
old order of American industry has
been staggering under the impacts Of
the depression, Consumer Coopera-
ton has been making its greatest gains
Yet this economic revolution is
based on ideas as American as the
Constitution upon which the govern
ment OF the nation is based.
"A peaceful revolution is going for
ward in America today. It is proceed
ing quietly, without fanfare of trum-
pets, without rancor and without con-
fusion. 1t has already enrolled two
million American families You will
find the units Of the movement in New
England, in the Middle West and on
the Pacific slope. They include in their
membership college professors and
Negro steel workers, farmers and la
Dor union members Scandinavian i'm
migrants and old line Americans
These two million families have ac-
complished much toward providing for
themselves not only such commodities
as gasoline and oil, groceries, feed fer
%tilizer, and SO on, but are building such
services as insurance and credit, hospi-
talization and medical care"
Gas and oil c~ooperatives, growing from
a single retail cooperative in MINES
sofa fifteen years ago to a nation
wide movement handling $40,000,0 0O
worth Of petroleum products in 1885
a cooperative wholesale for groceries
and general merchandise, organized
with a capital Of $3.50 seventeen years
ago which last year supplied 1870 CO.
operative retail stores in Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Northern Michigan
with 100000 worth of merchandise
much Of it under Coop" label; a re
volution in burlap" which has led to
the organization of farm supply COOP
e~rativeS processing millions Of dollars
worth Of their own feed, seed and fer
tilizer in mills owned by farmer-con-
sumers the evolution Of a national fed
Grafton of II major cooperatives do
ing a business of $25,O00,000 a year -
these are a few of the developments
which Mr.. Fowler describes as "evid-
ence OF the amazing advance of Con-
sumner Cooperation out of the villages
on the crossroads into the cities and
towns, with stores, filling stations,
warehouses and factories, pushing for
ward to make the people themselves
the owners Of industry"
Marquis w. Childs, author Of "Swe-
den: The Middle Way" which has at
tracted wide attention in economic cir
Giles, says in the introduction to Con
sumner Cooperation in America" There
is good reason for hope when the
American consumer, most supine and
downtrodden OF all individuals, turns to
a practical way out"
IN. b. The Cooperative League has
secured a special edition of "Consum-
er Cooperation in America" which can
be secured from 167 w. 18th ST., N.
Y. c. for S100 per cow.