The Washington times., 1937-03-12

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should the enterprise actually I
Tomorrow, sponsors of the pro-
posed cooperative will hold lunch
con meeting at lis p. m. in the
cafeteria Of the Agriculture Depart.
ment, gathering in the section near
C Street which faces the sixth cor
ridor of the South Building. Mary
Taylor, membership committee
chairman, announced today that
special tables have been reserved
for the conference, which will
check on results to date and "plan
for the final swing"
AS planned at present, the eating
establishment would follow con-
ventional cooperative structure.
Everybody interested would be al
lowed to purchase shares Of stock
at IS a share, but regardless Of the
number Of shares purchased each
shareholder would have but one
vote in directing the destinies of
the enterprise.
Profits would go to the owner
ship as in the ordinary form of
corporation, but in a different
manner. Each share would re-
ceive interest, probably 6 per cent
yearly, but any other profits not
stored away in a surplus account
would be divided among sharehold.
ers according to the amount of
trade they gave the cooperative
themselves. Consequently, the
heaviest users of the restaurant
would be the greatest gamers, re-
gardlesS of who had the most
money invested.
It is understood that the CO.
operative project will include
ample meeting space. and it is
this feature that should make the
venture success.
Most observers do not believe
that a straight restaurant on the
cooperative basis would prove a
bowling success for numerous
reasons, and predict that it would
sink to the insignificance of the
various food fad" emporiums
now popular with a few lettuce
lovers.
They point out, however, that
it could and probably would be-
come q general meeting ground
for clerks, particularly political
and union-minded ones. The cur.
rent undertaking is understood to
have the sympathy and backing
Of numerous New Dealers who at.
tained membership in the old
Washington Newspaper Club on
Eleventh Street and liked it so
we'll that there was little room
left for newSpapermen-most Of
the latter quitting with large and
juicy "cuffs" to their debit and
eventually causing the financial
demise Of the organization.
Be that is it may, a gathering
place with eating and drinking
facilities for Federalites is badly
needed. Younger workers, as
rule, do not have their homes in
Washington and after 4:30 like an
occasional escape from rooming
and boarding house atmosphere;
$1,440, however, doesn't allow a
night club except on the fifteenth
and thirty-first, and If its Utopian
democratic ideals don't sink it of
their own weight the proposed CO.
operative might prove natural. "
COncurrently today, the report
Of the Presidents inquiry on CO.
operative enterprises in Europe
was announced. The inquiry, com
posed of Jacob Baker, Leland
OldS, Charles E. Stuart, Robin
Hood, Clifford v. Gregory and
Emily Cauthorn Bates, spent rs
days in nine European countries
studying such enterprises.
It advocates In its report a
thorough study Of consumer and
service cooperativeS here, establish.
ment Of an agency to dispense
information on consumer cooper
atives and that steps be taken to
assure credit parity for them. It
describes cooperatives:
In essence, cooperative en-
terprise is at one and the same
time q competitor of, a check
on, q partial substitute for, and
q supplement to private busi-
ness enterprise"
The law requiring seamen on
vessels Of 100 tons or more gross
tonnage to carry continuous dis
charge books has prompted the
Navy Department to ask that in.
spectors Of hullS stationed in
towns with no shipping commits.
sionerS be deputized as customs
collectors so they may handle the
books. G. A. o. has given permis
sion. the deputies to receive nc
compensation for the added duty
Efficiency ratings received q
keel hauling the other day as the
United Civil Service Employees
convened. It was pointed out that