MR. CHILDS' study of the Swedish economy is aptly called "The Middle Way." In finding and establishing the golden mean between collectivism and free individual enterprise the Swedes have on the one hand pruned and doctored capitalism to protect it from its own excesses, and on the other defended it from the very real danger of Communist or Fascist revolution. In so doing they have not trifled with ideals and standards of any kind--their sole aim has been to preserve the privileges of John Q. Consumer--and they have bargained and compromised and applied pressure and given in gracefully on things as they came along--with only this in mind--"Does it work?"

Co-Operation in Democracy

The result is that the Swedish system, so far as it has gone (and it has gone a long ways and seems to be going farther) does work. Its keynote is co-operation--co-operation that arises from an earnest desire of the people to save their democracy and their individual initiative, as well as their pocketbooks for the time being. The Swedes have a democracy much like the English democracy, with a benevolent and hard-working king who fills a deep-seated need for color and is also a symbol about which the various and opposed political parties find a common focus. They love their king and they love their personal rights, just as they love in right proportions their safety (in co-operation) and their freedom (in individual enterprises)

It was due to two factors that they have so well tempered seemingly contrasted ideals. One, the people were united enough and articulate enough to want to fight their way free of monopoly and capitalistic excesses. Two, they had unselfish and capable leaders to push the crusade.

The co-operatives beat the combines at their own game. If it's a price war so much the better for the stockholders of the co-operatives, for they are the consumers and they benefit either way. If it's organized boycott that doesn't hurt either, because the members of the co-operatives are loyal and their companies are so founded that they exist primarily for the benefit of the members and make no real attempt to profit from sales to non-members. Any direction the battle runs the co-operative managers are a jump ahead of the cartels and thir gain is the consumer's gain. Albin Johansson, president and manager of the Co-operative Union, or "K. F." receives a salary roughly equivalent to 5000 dollars in United States currency. It is self-sacrifice like his, as well as the sound financial and business policies of its leaders, that has made the Swedish co-operative movement a reality.

Consumer Benefits

The Swedish consumer now gets his food supplies, clothing, electric light bulbs, etc. closer to actual cost than the consumer in any other country of the world. He is also a stockholder in the "K.F." which supplies these major needs, with an important vote in determining the "K. F."s policies. He may take as much of a part as he wishes in the affairs of the Union and all its books and all its operations are open to him--even displayed to him without asking--in the pages of his daily newspaper. He is an awakened and alert consumer and he knows what he wants and gets it. Whether the people of this country would ever defend their own rights by similar tactics is a question. Meanwhile the more that is heard about co-operatives the better. Marquis Childs has done a splendidly thorough job of telling us about them, and his book is, as Lewis Gannet calls it, "the best political news in years."