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Four GREENBELT NEWS REVIEW Sept. 23, 1954 GCSManagerTours European Co-ops Flying to Copenhagen via Swiss- Air, Greenbelt Consumer Services’ general manager Sam Ashelman wrote a letter to his associates hack home giving his impressions of the Migros Conference on Dis tribution which he attended in Zurich last month. The GCS office has given the Oooperator a copy of the letter from which the follow ing paragraphs are copied. (Ashelman concludes his tour this week of European coopera tives and attendance at the Inter national Cooperative Alliance Con gress in Paris He has been the representative of all American consumer co-ops on the Coopera tive League’s special committee visiting Europe.) “I’m behind schedule because I stayed over in Zurich to talk with the Swiss Co-op Union people (the national cooperative organization) about the Migros Federation. “The Migros Conference was a really worthwhile experience. The general topic of discussion was what could be done by business and government to prevent depres sions. Over 200 people from twen ty-two countries were present. They included some co-op people from Denmark, Italy, Belgium and the USA, but the delegates for the most part were from private trade including, for example, the head of the largest London de partment store, the head of the French Retail Grocers Associa tion, etc. “I therefore had the opportunity to meet and talk with some out standing and talented people. In addition to those mentioned above, there were also a number of econ omists and government people present. “The most stimulating experi ence of all, however, was the op portunity of getting to know per sonally the developer and dynamic head of Migros—Gottlieb Dutt weiler. He really is a brilliant businessman, and at the same time has developed an appreciation that good business is always working in the public-consumer interest. He is now 66, but full of ideas and more vitality than most people. Duttweiler turned his private business into a co-op and my Dan ish friends tell me it is a real co op, even though the old-line Swiss Co-op Unibn (which is itself very large and good) does not like to admit it is, and actually boycotted the Conference. You might be in terested in reading the story on Duttweiler and Migros in the Aug ust 9th issue of TIME for more de tails. They are really doing a job for the consumer!” (The TIME story tells how Dutt weiler, whose goal for 29 years has been to bring prices down in Swit zerland, “built an SBS million a year empire that started out with groceries and now includes taxi fleets, clothing stores, sewing ma chines and movies. In a nation of enterprising moneymakers, Dutt weiler is the most enterprising of all. He is also unique in another way; years ago he gave away most of his wealth to his customers.”) “Duttweiler is very much inter ested in developing a permanent international co-op institute in Switzerland,” Ashelman’s lettelr continues. “They plan to spend around $350,000 for buildings this year so that co-op employees, youth groups and business people, etc. can meet and get to know each other on a better-orgianized basis. I feel that it would be very worth while if we in GCS could participate in this project. Sev eral years ago, our Board author ized an employee exchange idea, but we have not been in position to implement it from our end. Per haps this institute will give us the chance to do so. “Talking with people from the various countries was very educa tional for me. Merchandising con ditions are different in Europe than USA, but in Zurich not too much so. I was very favorably impressed with the Swiss Co-op stores; they are the best in the country. Co-ops here of course have gotten back into production much more than wte have. “As I told the Conference—be ing the representative of Ameri can consumer co-ops, I had the honor of making the last address — Count to Ten By Miriam A. Solomon It’s the little kids who are doing it in 11 Ridge, according to Mrs. Mary Linstrom of 11-C. Her own and some neighbor’s children picked up around the walks and the garages, each carrying their collection of trash to their gar bage closets for disposition. Mrs. Linstrom thinks a weekly policing up of this kind by the children, with some encouragement from the parents, will be eonugh to keep her court area in fine shape. She suggests, if others wish to copy her idea, that it might be wise to plan the job an hour or so before the garbage truck comes around. The stuff could be waiting in a carton or bushel in someone’s yard. Number 3 Crescent keeps their court spic and span by operating on a bi-weekly schedule. Mrs. Os wald Bridge of 3-E reports that the families here take turns being responsible for picking up papers and trash around the parking lot and along the paths. Residents here have naturally become very careful about throwing anything on the ground in the first place. Cooperation among Mrs. Bridge’s neighbors has extended to paint ing outdoor trim and other im- I had discovered many things: Not only some new techniques and ideas, but more important, the fact that there is developing an ap preciation of the necessity of busi nessmen sharing experience and knowledge and working together for the welfare of all. Also, once we get to know and understand each other, there is a real basis for international friendship afid mutual help. “We are approaching Copen hagen, so I must stop writing. I’ll try to send further impressions la ter. It will be most difficult to find the time or energy, however, because in the next 14 days we will visit eight countries and talk with lots of people. And then will come the International Cooperative Al liance Congress in Paris, which is a very strenuous affair, I’m told. I’ll be glad to get back home, I’m sure.” RESTORFF MOTORS j SALES SERVICE j j REPAIRS ALL MAKES CARS j Car Painting - - Body Work ! 6210 Baltimore Avenue j Riverdale, Md. :—: APpleton 7-5100 | VETERANS LIQUORS | Beltsville, Maryland f I 'fyoun, *?'UwcU«f ‘DeaC&i I | Free Delivery - WEbster 5-5990 I I PRIOR'S Premium Beer \ | Limited Quantity | | Sells for $4.70 a case | I Veteran's Special I STORE PRICE-$1.99 A CASE | 4 plus deposit & tax | I DELIVERED - $2.25 A CASE I plus deposit & tax | also ! | Doherty’s Bottled In Bond j I 6 yrs. old- $3.59 a fifth | provements. The court looks mar velous, although hardly a lesser benefit of the families’ cooperation is the inevitable, inestimable en richment of human relationships. The Joint Committee on Cleanup hopes that parents are reminding their children to work toward en tering the essay contest “WHAT I HAVE DONE DURING THE SUMMER TO HELP KEEP GREENBELT CLEAN.” I hope they .are making specific sugges tions to them on it. The children of the two courts mentioned might be entering. I hope they are. We need lots of contestants and, lots of cleanup, particularly the “no man’s land” areas between courts and underpasses and around the schools and the lake area last but ot least. The kids could do a lot there both in prevention and pick up. I hope more people are speak ing to their children and each oth er in the vein of the recent mem orandum sent by Greenbelt Con sumer Services Manager Samuel F. Ashelman, Jr., to GCS Greenbelt employees. He said, “We ought to be working all the time to make the Greenbelt Shopping Center the best in the country. You can help by cooperating with the Green belt Citizens Assn. Clean-up Com mittee. GCS itself will be putting up signs, helping to sponsor a poster contest, etc. I want to ask that all employees do what they can by word of mouth and exam ple. If you see some paper, broken glass, etc. in the center .as you are walking through, make a point of picking it up and putting it in the nearest trash can. By demonstra tion perhaps we can get other cit izens to help in keeping the Center clean. Let’s all work together in this very worth while community project.” Printing Service Successful Businessmen's Printer Envelopes - Letterheads Billheads UNion 4-9719 § VITAMINS I for less than 2c a- day § 'Vct'Z- TfCulli f § & §* 9 Vitamins! One capsule meets or exceeds minimum V daily requirements of all vitamins known to be needed! A * Check the potency! Compare the price! § § Each capsule contains: ? § Vitamin A 5,000 U.S.P. units £ & Vitamin D 1,000 U.S.P. units j x: Vitamin B-l „ - 1.5 mg. § J Vitamin B-2 2 mg. 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