182 BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS 



the domination of syndicates of manufacturers of those 

 things which they wanted, rings which kept up the 

 price and then supplied inferior articles, and com- 

 binations of farmers on co-operative lines were made 

 to meet this difficulty. It is clear that the farmer 

 effects a great saving if he can buy from a society 

 which purchases the best qualities wholesale, and 

 charges only a small commission to cover expenses, 

 instead of buying from a trader who seeks a profit 

 only limited by competition, and not always by that. 

 A few years ago there were twenty-seven great co- 

 operative supply societies in Germany working on a 

 very big scale, with a total membership of over 10,000, 

 mainly consisting of small local affiliated societies up 

 and down the country. Other countries have followed 

 Germany's lead in this matter also, and successfully 

 too, though generally with far less complete organiza- 

 tion. 



These two functions of which I have spoken, very 

 necessary functions indeed for the welfare of the 

 agriculturist, that is to say, the provision of credit 

 and the provision of what may be called, in the 

 broadest sense, agricultural plant, have often been 

 associated, in the sense that one society will both buy 

 for and sell to its members machinery, seeds, &c., 

 and will also grant credit. 



One may say that the two things of which I have 

 been speaking are the simplest to organize on co- 

 operative lines. But in addition, of course, we have 

 the other side of the farmer's needs the disposal of 

 his produce. Here again is a vast field for co-opera- 

 tion in dealing with produce on its way from the land 

 to the consumer. In this dispatch from the land to 

 the consumer many different processes are involved, 

 varying, of course, with different commodities, and 

 in order to organize effectively co-operative dealin 



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