4 COOPERATIVE MARKETING 



social reformer is that of insufficient nourishment. Booth 

 and Rowntree in their justly celebrated surveys came to 

 the conclusion that about one-tenth of the industrial popula- 

 tion studied does not obtain enough food to secure mere 

 working efficiency/ Chapin, More and Streightoff give 

 concretely the income wrhich is necessary under modern 

 conditions for the maintenance of a decent standard of 

 family living^' 



Most vy^riters, however, see only one remedy, increased 

 earnings. But increased earnings imply a readjustment of 

 the general economic situation which determines wages. 

 This readjustment is not to be obtained by even the widest 

 diffusion of knowledge of the fact that large numbers of 

 people are underfed. Some dynamic element is needed, 

 such as a change in the ratio of numbers to natural re- 

 sources or an increase in working efficiency. Such general 

 readjustments for the welfare of labor are most difficult of 

 accomplishment. If workmen were able to increase their 

 wages they would do so without waiting to be told that 

 their earnings are inadequate. 



Bitter strikes have been waged over smaller matters than 

 an eight per cent, advance in earnings, yet the wage earner 

 would receive an advantage equivalent to an eight per cent, 

 increase in wages if the intricacies of getting his food to 

 him could be sufficiently straightened out to effect a saving 

 of twenty per cent. For it must be remembered that in- 

 vestigators agree that more than two-fifths of the working- 

 man's total earnings is spent for food. Under our present 



^ Booth : "Life and Labour of the People in London," Vol. II, pp. 

 18-24; Rowntree: "Poverty," pp. 111-118. 



2 Chapin : "The Standard of Living Among Workingmen's Fam- 

 ilies in New York City," pp. 68-69, 123-161, 229-234, 245-250; Streight- 

 off: "The Standard of Living Among the Industrial People of Amer- 

 ica," Chapters II, IV, and XI; More: "Wage-Earners' Budgets," pp. 

 264-270. 



