A COMMUNITY HOUSEHOLD

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LX, Issue 90, 14 November 1939, Page 6

A COMMUNITY HOUSEHOLD

(From The Guardian's London Correspondent) LONDON, October 21. The existence of .a "Community Household" in a London suburban villa, where five men and a girl pool incomes give away any surplus and share each other's goods, was revealed this week at the London Conscientious Objectors' Tribunal. Aged between 18 and 25, they are four civil servants, a wireless research engineer and an unemployed youth. Twenty-year-old "Ivy" is the only girl of the community, which is established at a house in Stroke Newington, One of the civil ser-

vants, 21-year-old Basil Savage, ap-, pearing before the tribunal said: "I' am one of six members of 'a community living in peace association with, one another.' " "We got to know each other at Peace Pledge Union meetings. When we devised this idea of living together our parents were sceptical, but we carried on. We took _ this: house over when war broke out. All of us, when the time comes1, will object to military service. We live here with no quarrels. If one did crop up we Should deal with it by talking it over. There is no chief spokesman or head. We are all equal. "Our money is paid into a pool out of which a little is drawn each week by the members for their own

personal comforts. The balance, if any, will be used to help other outside members." Mr Vivian Petty, aged ,18, is the cook and "housewife." "We are all vegetarians," he said. "It makes cooking more difficult. I do the shopping, attend to the tradespeople, the washing-up, and as much cleaning all round the house as I possibly can. It is my contribution while I am not earning money to pay into the pool. lam allowed money out of the pool for my comforts." At the tribunal Mr Savage was registered as a conscientious objector on condition that he obtains agricultural work. He stated that he intends to appeal against the decision,