Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1948-04-09
What's
New?
By
EdWdrd J.
Duck,
Assistant
Director,
National
Auto.Lite
DiUsion

ported that consumer Pui
chasing power is lower right
now than at any time since
1912.
AS if we didn't know it
without the report!
There are quite a few rea-
sons for this, chief of which,
as we said a long time ago, is
the element of greed on the
part of the profiteers in big
business. Or are we gettlng
radical again.
Another reason why the
dollar isn't a dollar anymore
is this:
There are too many fingers
in the pie.
Translated, this means that
there are simply too many
guys along the line who have
their hands out, taking a cut
out of the deal, until by the
time you buy the can of beans
or the loaf of bread from the
grocer the price has gone
much higher than it should
be. And this doesn't apply
only to food.
Still another reason is that
the workingman is not in a
good position right now TO
dictate prices.
Incidentally, on O'Connell
Street, in Toledo, there re-
sides a gentleman who re-
Gently purchased a mattress
for something like S46.95.
Whether he knows it or not,
that same identical item sold
for $3.50 before the war.
Here's food for thought.
NOT ENOUGH
What we mean to say is
that the wage Garner has
pretty serious problem. The
pocketbook just doesn't yield
enough greenbacks to foot the
bills. Proof of this, on one
hand, is the fact that spend
ing and savings are both
slowing down, while at the
same time we know that gov
ernment bonds are being
cashed by the carload, so to
speak.
So the little guy rubs his
head, and wonders what he
can do about all this.
There are two things the
consumer can do. He can vote
wisely in May and November,
and he can join the consumer
cooperative movement just as
fast as he can sign a mem
bership application.
We can chatter and CAB
from now till doomsday, but
it won't bring about effective
price control and quality inn
proVement. Marquis Childs
has told us what the people
of Sweden did TO meet their
economic situation. His book,
"Sweden-The Middle Way"
explains how consumer CO.
operatives did the trick.
Last Tuesday there was a
meeting of the Toledo Con-
sumers Cooperative which we
attend e d. Auto-Lite Vice
Chairman Virgil Barnhart
was there. In fact, he's on the
coop executive committee.
Plans were discussed for the
campaign to raise a half mil
lion dollars for the Toledo
Coop Super-markets. These
will be stores owned by the
consumers themselves. You
and i and the next fellow will
each have voice and vote in
the conduct of the business,
and we will share in the sue
cess of the stores, not only in
patronage dividends but in
improved quality of merchan-
disc.
BACK COOP
The coop is a wonderful
venture. All of us should pro-
mote it to the utmost. II
Barnhart can take the time
he does in helping to advance
the economic cause of the con-
suming public, so can the rest
of US. And without pay OF any
kind, we might add.
1t costs only $25 to become
a stockholder and member.
There are no assessments,
Each member has one vote,
There's no such thing as dis
elimination. Patronage divi-
dends are paid to the mem
bers according to their total
purchases. Those wishing to
purchase preferred stock will
receive up to AZ interest or
their investment.
These are but few of the
points worth noting in regard
to the coop. In closing for the
esent, here's a thought
worth carrying with you;
Does 1t make good sense tc
work for someone for the
wages he wishes to pay you
for making the products he
sells back to you at the price
he wishes to charge you?