RUSSIA - CO-OPERATION AND ASSOCIATION 



Table VII. — Relation between the whole Number of Co-operative Institutions 

 and those of the Various Categories, 



Categories Total Number Percent of Total 



Co-operative Urban 486 



Rural 2,063 73 % 



" Factory 220 



Special 51 



" lyabourers 50 



" Railway 30 



Various 114 



Unions of Co-operative Institutions 154 



The Muscovite union expects in the current year a turnover of 

 145,568,500 roubles, distributed as follows : commercial action 131,420,000 

 roubles ; production 11,131,000 roubles ; propaganda action 3,017,500 

 roubles. In comparison with the results of previous years these previsions 

 are moderate for they involve an increase of only 68 per cent. Their 

 moderate character is comfirmed by the results of the first years. The 

 increase was of 122 per cent, in 1915 and of 280 per cent, in 1916. 



Another circumstance should be noticed. In 1916 co-operative con- 

 sumption organized itself for the first time and on a large scale. It founded 

 one chemical establishment ; four soap factories ; four factories of confectio- 

 nerj^ ; four establishments for the treatment of leather ; tobacco, match, 

 preserved fish and paper factories ; establishments for the treatment of 

 wood and suaflower oil ; mineral water works, printing-presses ; and a num- 

 ber of mills. The anticipations of the Central Union left out of account the 

 large mills bought in the first months of 1917 and a number of enterprises 

 of various kinds. 



On parallel lines to this organization, which operates from outside 

 inwards, that operating from inside outwards has grown and been reinforc- 

 ed during the war. The Central Union founds, at points chosen in advance 

 and likely, owing to their geographical position, to be active trading centres, 

 a number of agencies having stores for wholesale goods, and these agencies 

 form nuclei always closely connected with the Central Union. They have the 

 double aim of supplying the co-operative institutions with wholesale warehou- 

 ses, and buying local products for the Central Union without the inter^^ention 

 of middlemen. Middlemen used more than any other element to burden 

 enterprise in Russia. 



There were seven of these agencies in 1916 and twelve in 1917. Their 

 turnover in 1916 was very large, that of the Agency of Rostov being 257 

 per cent, of its amount in the previous year, that of the Kiev Agency 179.8 

 per cent., that of the Odessa Agency 255.5 per cent., that of the Rybinsk 

 Agency 589 per cent., and that of the Astrakhan Agency 2,351 per cent. For 

 the current year a turnover of 44,700,000 roubles is anticipated, 



