Balmier, Alaska
Dorothy II, Ecll,Suitor
Published every reek at Palmer, Alaska, for the'Hat anus ka V. lley Eoners’ Cooperating
Association for-the purpose of giving ners of the Associations rork, probians and
Accomplishments, and the dissemination of nevs of a'.public character,
SUBSCRIPTION HATE 51.75 per i'yesrv.« ‘)1,00 6 jhos. 10^ a copy
I H t '' RIG H ! WORD !
PRIVATE-j.T"TERPRISE (“'RIV. .T3 3U3IICSS)—used by bjany as a synonym for profit eiyfce
by others to denote all business conducted voluntarily by private citizens, indi
rprise,
v i dually
or lit'groups, •• •
The second meaning makes this term include cooperative business and exclude only public
( ovemmental) pntdrpAse' (see belot;j. T^o tro neanings made '.the 'taxnjEiisle-qdihc, and
its use should .be avoided", especially "hen the aim is to distinguish co6 pc'native busi
ness from profit., bus Inessa * , ; . 4
FCDLIC EL'IERPRISE—business service conducted by -ovornment, either -ith freedom of
choice as to patronage and support by the Individual ( s -ith a municipal porer plant)
or vithout that choice (no "ith education or rolice protection). Includes both those
ent: rprisos directly controlled by political government (as "ith the post office) and
those operated by public cor-orations ( s "ith TEA end RPf).
Obviously cooperatives, although organized in the ccnnunity interest and open to all,
are private, not public enterprises. Cooperatives succeed or fail like any other busi
ness enterprise and are ornied by a’definite number of shareholders t*io arc free to par
ticipate or rithdrav as they rish, This distinction is especially important "here the
opponents of cooperation attempt to build up opposition by calling cooperators "social
ist ■’ or ”C mr.runist s. "
C0I.P3TIT.I0K —a free, cornet it ire condition >in an economy under 'filch all different
typos of business organization are p omitted to function r’ith etpaal opportunity; none
is to be legislated out of existence in coercive or arbitrary fashion. Corvee tition is
also used to near "gettin, ahead of others.”
It is ort-max tnat this --ord is commonly used to oxoress tvo different things about
our economy. Coopc rat ar s. car. subscribe t.e the type of ccr.nct it lot ran resented’ i.n the
first r^aning—rthe Idea’if a free caripetitivo condition in the : .arlcet nlace. The second
r- *’ • -th s positc of cooperation, . eqple achieve thoir goals through cooperating
"ith ore another; they -achieve far’less .through connoting -:1th one a:other. 7e vrblic
does not usually give tlx rord- "competition" the ir.torpr :tat ioh 'of rut hie ss strum 5.0.
Therefore, the tern should be carefully explained -hon used in this sense, Mdeed, it
mould be ver* helpful if v.e coulc. find another -;ord to represent the ruthless,-asteful
stru;- le - :ich is the opposite of cooperation.
% . ...
UGHDO.. C 7 3 331 IIS3 (?233 3'7r ?3f?ISS)— in general this tern near s the sane as the
first I of in it ion above for competition.
T Is is a very loose expression and is comonly used by some to indicate the "3i.sht” of
t&oa?l,^0pi6^atzfg^mica^iI5dSoi^loit.othcrs- I-'jffobtoljr could 'Aceuj.- til things
. Dooporators endorse free enterprise, oven though
the;- find it hard to accept the rany mastes of connotation as on-nosed to the benefits
of Mutual self-help.
•.ALAI C3D _C0. d.i 01 i.irSD ..CC: 0.—-—an economy in "hich cooperative enterprise, nr of it
'enterprises, and public enterprises all operate in ccraparativo freedom, each acting
as a check on the others.
U50 bf the toms "balanced economy- and %.ixod oec^ony’* avoids thp necessity -of attac
l:in- "capitalism.” Host people consider that .there are only throe types of economy_
capitalism, communism, and fascism. > In discriminate attacks on "capitalism” may cause
the speaker to be classified as a communist or fascist.
Oo-Op-IIaganino published by the rational Cooper
atives, Inc. at C icago.,
abovu article as published by tho rational Coonoratiyos, Inc. cloarl'''' defines
sctr:> o_ tne terms .'hich v.e use rather carelessly in regard to business. Sor.o torr.s
part, cularly adaptable to C -opcrativcs aro: Savings instead of frofits; and Sepv'oo
to rv—.bors instead of trade. A cooperative is considered a service organisation set
up 'or the benefit of its patpen members.