Offices
Business Office, Post Office, Depot, Leadership, Membership, Politics, Etc.

"Vernon Parish Democrat," June 7, 1919

"Newllano; Postoffice Granted at Stables -- After several petitions having been sent in, and a number of applications, special letters to Congressman Aswell and personal interviews with him a postoffice has at last been granted at Stables under the name Newllano. Walter H. Fread is installed as postmaster. It will not be a money order postoffice, but application will be made at once for this additional convenience. The matter of the establishing of the postofice has been pending for nearly 15 months."

"Vernon Parish Democrat," November 4, 1920

"Tuesday, November 2 -- Election day. The ballot box arrived, and, as no one came to serve as commissioners, I was delegated to hunt up an election crew. Now, when it gets to the point of hunting men here to serve on anything but a Colony job, you are up against the real thing. All of us seem to think that Colony business is the most important in the world. But with much persuasion and some force, I got Comrades Dougherty, Shutt, Lloyd and myself to act. And at the end of the day, Debs gained Stables by a vote of 17 to 2. Chas. Swenson worked pulling sweet potato vines all day by himself; I stole his crew to serve on election board."

"Vernon Parish Democrat," December 23, 1920

"Charles S. Swenson left Wednesday for Iowa, where he will visit with a brother for some time, after which he goes to Michigan to make his home. Mr. Swenson recently exchanged his stock in the Colony to Mr. E.B. Nash of Fairbanks, Tex., for a residence and five acres in Michigan."

"Vernon Parish Democrat," January 20, 1921

"We don't often speak of the womens' work here because it goes on as a necessity. Our women run the hotel, laundry, sewing department, and such things that must go on at all times. Food must be prepared, clothes cleaned and mended, beds made, and rooms cleaned. Well, you know what women usually think of their work. These things must be done; but why by women? Is it useful? Yes. Is it easy work? No. Then why, necessarily to be done by women? Just because tradition says so. And our women (as a general rule) think it is so, too.

Here women could enter into mechanics, gardening, farming, shoe making, in fact, in any industrial activity she wishes; and I can't, to save my breath, see why some of our women don't go at it. Here freedom of choice of occupation will permit women to compete with men. She can make herself free from being the servant to man and can make herself personally felt in the industrial field. Who will make the home? Why both of them. Why not? It takes love to make a home, and when both are not on an equality, love cannot reign.

Women, compete with man and show him you are capable of accepting industrial responsibilitys [sic] and successfully managing Colony enterprises. Educate yourselves to be the equals of man, and then he will be more interested in you and the home. Men like to talk to and associate with their equals, and all you have to do is to show him -- and you can in the Colony."

"Llano Colonist," September 23, 1922 (Impressions of Llano by Geo. Sutherland, a visitor to the Colony)

"The first fact which forcibly strikes the tenderfoot in this co-opertive community is the MORAL EARNESTNESS of the men and women who handle and work in the Colony's industries and the various departments necessary and vital to the community life; they are tremendously interested in their jobs as a part of the BIGGER job -- hence there is absent that element of waste which makes it necessary to have a 'straw boss' for every half-dozen men, as in industries on the 'outside'; these men and women understand their work and know what is required of them. The whip and drive of competitive industry are absent here; the common weal and social urge are the motives which speed up the colonists in their activities. There are no clocks in evidence in any of the places where groups of workers are employed; there are no 'clock-watchers'; we are 'dividing up' with nobody, but working for ourselves and the race-ideal -- a society made up of free men and free women."

"Llano Colonist," November 12, 1927

"People differ widely on most subjects and are ready with arguments to defend their honest opinions with strong and weighty quotations from world-wide authorities and many are well informed on many subjects of importance to the world's progress. C.M. Maxwell"

"Llano Colonist (Gateway to Freedom)," December 3, 1927

"Markets Easily Reached -- The essential thing after production is marketing. New Orleans is one of the greatest export markets of the United States. The cities of the Mississippi valley, of the Atlantic seaboard, and through the Panama Canal the cities of the Pacific coast are easily reached. Rail and water facilities are good. Millions of consumers live within a radius of a few hundred miles. The Kansas City Southern railroad has a station at the Colony and a siding for loading and unloading cars."

"Llano Colonist (Gateway to Freedom)," December 10, 1927

"FREIGHT for the Colony should be billed directly to Newllano, Louisiana, the station at the Colony. As there is no freight agent here, all freight must be prepaid. It will then be delivered at the Colony and taken care of.

EXPRESS can be sent here direct, either prepaid or collect, as the Colony has an Express agent of its own.

PASSENGERS for Newllano -- Buy your tickets to Newllano, Louisiana. Should your agent not want to sell to this point, buy to Leesville and get off at Newllano. Four passenger trains a day go through the Colony and all will stop here to put down passengers from distant points. All trains are met by Colony representatives.

POST OFFICE -- Direct all mail for the Colony, or colonists to Llano Co-operative Colony, Newllano, Louisiana, as we have our own post office now."

"Llano Colonist (Gateway to Freedom)," December 19, 1927

"Cost of Membership:

Membership in the Llano Colony can be had on payment of what is considered enough to provide the worker with tools and equipment.

In order to join this Colony and become an equal owner in the assets of the community to have all rights and privileges as a colonist, the following schedule of membership fees applies:

For a man or woman, $1,000; for each additional adult member of the family, $200; for children between the ages of 12 and 21, $150, and for children under 12 years, $100 each.

Money is not all that is necessary to join the Colony, however. One must evince a desire to do his full duty in social, educational, and physical betterment; to be willing to work at whatever is necessary to be done, and to be patient and anxious to learn how to become a real co-operator; to abolish greed, jealousy, and suspicion from his heart.

Installment Membership:

Many who wish to join have not the ready cash. They may pay in on installments. This arrangement has made the special value that whenever the Colony needs men of experience to do certain work it sends for the installment members. If you hope to come to Llano some day don't put your money in a capitalistic bank, where it will be used against the workers; send it in to Llano. It may be that you have just the experience that is needed and may be called for soon...

A full membership in the Colony consists of 2000 shares of stock in the corporation. The difference between the cash payment required and the amount of the full membership may, at the option of the applicant, be paid in cash, or worked out at the rate of $1.00 per day. When the full amount of $2000 shall have been credited, the applicant becomes a full-fledged member and his stock is issued."

Llano Colonist," September 15, 1928

"The Board of Directors have the power to handle the finances of the corporation at all times, but working as we do in integral co-operation we never make a heavy investment of any kind without the consent of the membership itself, and in fact, their encouragement. -- George T. Pickett"

Llano Colonist," November 22, 1930

"Let me tell you of our Mail service. There are four Mail trains passing through each twenty-four hours; two up and two down the line. These trains do not stop but pick up the mail bags automatically. There is a stout post mounted upon a small platform along side the track. This post has two arms hinged upon it semaphore fashion, one above the other. The upper is hinged or pivoted to swing upwards, and the lower one downwards. The mail is placed in a stout weather-proof bag and padlocked. It is fitted with two rings, one at each end. These rings are engaged with the ends of the semaphore arms which, by virtue of their weight, hold the bag taut in a vertical position upside down, thus keeping the rain out. Along comes the train and as it approaches an iron rod is raised to a horizontal position but at a slight angle with the side of the train. The free end of this rod passes behind the bag which is held in the point of the angle and carried away. The angular form of the rod draws the bag away from its support until it is dealt with by an official on board. The in-coming mail-bag is thrown out on to a place beside the track prepared for its reception.

The letters are sorted and placed in their respective numbered boxes. Those who have box numbers get access to our own box by a knowledge of the particular code which frees the lock. There are a large number of these boxes and they are used by neighbors as well as colonists. -- Sidney Young"

Llano Colonist," May 16, 1936

"Ed Joynes and the post office received a new weighing machine the other night. A brand new regulation 100 pound postal scale. He had quite a time getting it unpacked and set up, and was almost as delighted as a small boy with his Christmas toys.

Heretofore the post office weighing has had to be done on a smaller scale belonging to the express company, with large packages being weighed elsewhere. But now the biggest package to be shipped by parcel post can be weighed right there, as it should be."