European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 17, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tion and object of attack to is political enemies since that time. To a further disown merchandising and political ideas Duttweiler in 1936, created die Tat the Independent party daily circulation 30,000in which Duttweiler himself writes once or twice each week Prima Rily to answer attacks directed against him by Switzerland s largest newspaper circulation 60,000jneue Zircher Zei Tung. Answering these attacks gives Duttweiler a Chance to air his political views. He reads the Neue Zircher Zei Tung every morning usually manages to answer charges promptly. Duttweiler chuckles about these attacks As he can about almost everything else in which he is involved. Down there he says referring to the offices of n.  Z.,"they be got a couple of Young Fellows who keep Busy doing nothing but tear ing me  and most prolific of the Young Fallows in the staid polished n.   Is 28-year-old or. Ernst  has opposed everything Duttweiler has done since he first started campaigning. He was like a Vitamin in Swiss politics Bieri admits and though vitamins Are generally a Good thing too Many of them taken without meat make an unhealthy  spite of its accusations the Neue Zircher Zeitung does not go As far Asto accuse the blustering Duttweiler of wanting to be a dictator. As Duttweiler says even the opposition has t accused me of wanting that so i doubt if they really think i have political  Duttweiler had wanted to be a Swiss dictator most political observers agree that he would have done it Dur ing the War. Actually what he did Dur ing the War Only emphasizes his Strong feeling for the Swiss nation and the Swiss people. As Early As 1938 Dutt Weiler urged the Swiss government to Purchase a thousand air planes. No on seemed interested. Duttweiler also pro posed that the government Experiment with the storage of quantities of wheat and also of gasoline in huge under water tanks where they might be Safe from air raids. This proposal made in 1938, was never accepted. Its opponents thought the wheat would Mold and feared the Protection from bomb damage was not really secure. Finally in 1940 Duttweiler himself Sank a Small storage tank loaded with wheat in Mierwald Statt Ersee. Four years later when the chamber was opened the wheat was in its original  is Strong feeling  Switzerland and the Swiss people also prompted him to action in 1940 when he Felt fhe people were losing Faith in their nation and succumbing to German propaganda. He organized Public discus Sions in both Basle and Zurich two major Swiss cities closest physically to Germany. Duttweiler speaking at a time when almost All political leaders in the country were remaining silent because they did t know How the people were leaning and they did t want to be caught out on a limb strongly lauded Swiss neutrality definitely opposed the pro German Frontiss movement which was gaining momentum in Switzerland. In spite of his Busy wartime political activity Duttweiler still had time to expand economically to continue As heis prone to reiterate to show the Swiss peo ple How to have a Good  in1841 he engineered the Purchase of a Small Section of Railroad track which ran up a picturesque Mountain Peak in Southern Switzerland. The Generoso Railroad was on the Point of bankruptcy. About to be torn up its rails to be used As scrap. Micros bought it created the Generoso Genos Kenschaft with 4300 shareholders who paid �6 which entitled them among other things to one free round trip each year on the rail Road. The shareholders became the co operative s strongest promoters and the Mountain became a popular vacation spot in 1945 traffic had increased 300per cent Over the pre micros period. During the War Duttweiler also undertook work in at least two other Fields which were new to him. Apply ing his same Basic principles to eliminate unnecessary middleman Steps he formed a clothing Guild which succeeded in reducing the retail markup irom 40 and 50 per cent to 13v per cent. In 1944 he broke into the Cut Flower Industry and succeeded in reducing prices of roses from a pre Duttweiler figure of 1.50 francs a Rose to a current Price of five roses for one franc. The Quality he admits is almost though not quite the same. Weekend april 17, ims Duttweiler s first major venture away from is Staple micros started As a result of the Swiss hotel crisis 5n1935. The Swiss franc was High foreign visitors were almost non existent and the hotels were suffering. Many of the leading hotels throughout Switzerland were being taken Over by the Banks who still own them today. By organizing the Snall inexpensive hotels throughout the country and appealing to the French Belgium and dutch rail roads which also were suffering from Lack of Trade Duttweiler was Able to set up a Swiss hotel plan travel office in England which offered a travel rate to Switzerland at one Pound less than other agencies were offering and to give the visitors a seven Day vacation in Switzerland at a Cost of Only 65 Swiss francs. Our idea explains 54-year-old Emil Rentsch who has been director of the plan since its inception was to Hel the Swiss hotels and to help foreigners realize that a vacation in Switzerland was t an expensive luxury and to enable the Swiss people themselves to whom we opened our facilities to  we filled the Blower class lodgings then we Felt the wealthier people Many of whom were staying at places below their Means would be forced Back to the High class hotels which they could in reality  in its second year the plan brought. More than fifty thousand visitors into Switzerland from Holland and England. When the Swiss franc came Down 30per cent in 1937, Switzerland jumped right into a hotel Boom. Though the tourist problem had been solved Rentsch pointed out we Felt there was still a place for a reasonable and honest medium Between the clients and the hotels and we Are that. We have continued to  operation since the War and have recently opened a new York office. We Hope soon to be Able to sell a three weeks All in tour to Europe for Between $700 and �800." during travel restricted wartime Dutt Weiler enterprises offered bicycling Tours of Switzerland. This summer if present plans materialize they will be Able to offer tour facilities to motorists. Rentsch is one of the close Dutt Weiler friends and fellow workers who have been with the Swiss grocery Baron since the beginning. He s close enough so that they can both laugh when Dutt Weiler joints out Rentsch As one of my colleagues who. Are always standing around waiting for me to fade out of the  Duttweiler appreciates the personal Friendship and loyalty of Rentsch just As he does that of 38-year old Hans Biihler. Biihler is one of the Little men in micros but he s one of. The men who has been with the organisation since the Early Days. Seventeen years ago Biihler started driving Amigos truck Selling goods himself to housewives on the Corners. His first tour had 28 stops and he had to drive 120 Kilometres every Day to cover it it was a hard life Biihler says Justa Little nostalgically but i earned Good Money. Back when we were getting started it was t just a matter of Selling groceries. We Drivers had to fight sales Battle on every Corner. Often when we d pull up to a Stop representatives. Of other groceries would be waiting there along with our women customers. They wanted to Check the micros customers to whom they refused to sell the items we did t  like Duttweiler and micros Biihler survived the Earl attacks and opposition and two years ago he was taken off his truck route named manager of a micros store. Jus this Winter he was promoted to manage a larger store. Like other micros employees Biihler works 48 hours a week has sunday and one other Day free. He is insured by micros both on the Job and off eight per cent of his salary goes into a retirement fund which will be paid Back to him he can get up to60 per cent of his salary if he chooses to retire at 63 years. Biihler Points with Pride to Micro prices. In january he boasts i was Selling Black bread at forty Cen times approximately 9.3 cents per kilogram. Both the privately owned stores and other coops sold it for 47 Cen times. And even with the eight per Cen reduction most coops give with Pur Chase Stamps i undersold them.". While Buhler s bread Price comparison might not be representative he admits he is ready to hold up any micros item against any other competitive grocery item on a Quality Price basis. /. Ottweiler s interest in problems of the working Man and of the con Sumer Are  of heredity. For generations his family were Farmers in / the Wehn Valley. Duttweiler himself i spent some time on a farm but More important than that in shaping the Start of his life s work was the fact that his father became five years before Gott Lieb was born the first manager of the  Zurich one of the youngest but today one of the Best known Zurich cooperatives. Gottlie senior held that Job until his death when Gottlieb was 17 years old. During his 22-year tenure Gottlieb sr., started the l. V.  Operating As a big  others of his ideas he initiated the practice of directly interesting buy ers by giving them a stamp dividend. Washable at the end of the issuing period an outfit of less Tran one thou Sand members and with three Ware houses and seven shops before Dutt Weiler sr., took Over the .  Expanded to 12 thousand members 66 branches before the termination of Hisman Pership. Gottlieb jr., ran the Normal Swiss Public school Gamut. He was Only a fair student but an enterprising one. Hews scarcely into Trade school he re Calls somewhat vaguely before he Hada flourishing Rabbit raising business. Later he set up a profitable photo Trad whose subjects were among others the personnel of his father s business. When he was sixteen Gottlieb left school and signed with the Zurich grocery firm of. Pfister and Sigg As an apprentice. He did so Well during his apprenticeship that at the end of that time when he went to France the firm paid him a 100 Swiss francs per month retaining fee with the agreement that he should return at the end of a six month  did return and soon became a Junior partner. In 1917, shortly after Duttweiler s Twenty ninth birthday the firm became Pfister and Duttweiler. Left out of the Swiss army during world War i because of an underdeveloped Thorax he travelled around  securing food and raw material imports for his company which by that time was authorized to Purchase forthe Swiss general staff. But Duttweiler overestimated the Market and his fir was knocked out of business by the elimination of Switzerland from the inter National food Market and the freezing of her francs in the Early twenties. But their Confidence in him prompted Dutt Weiler s creditors to put him in charge of the firm s liquidation. It was re warded when  a fellow worker recovered 96 per cent of the 12 million franc indebtedness. The. Remainder Duttweiler has paid. Back personally during the past few years. In 1913 Duttweiler married Adele Bertschi who is still his wife. They have no children. I m glad t Don to Duttweiler explains. Five Schown too Many capable men who were prevented from really doing things by a feeling of responsibility toward their  Duttweiler s appraisal of his own enterprises is both discerning and realistic. You know he says when we first started micros we wanted to eliminate the merchandising sins of civilization. We wanted to setback to Primi Ivity. Well we be grown a Little tired and we re gradually slipping away fro those principles. I la bet in five years i could go Back and do the same thing All Over  he probably will. On Street Corners housewives meet one of the 140 micros delivery vans. Trucks never drive up to a Back door. Micros stores Don t restrict clientele to members of the cooperative. They avoid expensive name Brand groceries. In ten cities 28,000 Duttweiler students of All Ages study Art business but primarily languages in adult schools. Political opponents say Duttweiler holds audiences  emotional tension As did Hitler. Followers protest this. 11