20 INFORMATION RELATING TO CO-OPERATION AND ASSOCIATION 



4. THE DEVEIyOPIMENT OF THE CO-OPERATIVE MOVEIVIENT IN THE ABRUZZI. 



— . La Cooperazionc italiana. No. 1238, Milan, 6 April 1917. 



We borrow from a report, presented to the last Congress of the Agricul- 

 tural Labourers of the Abruzzi by a member of the council of the National 

 League of Co-operative Societies, the following data as to the position of 

 the co-operative movement in the Abruzzi at the end of 1916. At this date 

 there were altogether in this district 113 co-operative societies, distributed 

 as follows : 13 for consumption and agriculture ; 6 for labour ; 6 for credit, 

 including rural funds ; 7 co-operative agricultural consortia ; 52 societies for 

 the mutual insurance of live stock. They included 18,000 members, had a ca- 

 pital of 735,000 liras and a turnover of about 10,000,000 liras, neither of the 

 latter figures covering the societies for the mutual insurance of live stock. So 

 much as to the co-operative movement in general. As regards agricultural 

 co-operation in particular it is represented by agricultural co-operative 

 societies, co-operative credit societies and rural funds, agricultural con- 

 sortia, and mutual live stock insurance societies. 



The agricultural co-operative societies consist of agriculturists and small 

 landowners and aim principall}- at buying articles useful to agriculture and 

 selling them to their members. 



The co-operative credit societies and rural funds have a similar 

 membership and suppl}' their members with the sums needed for the cul- 

 tivation of their lands. Some of them also practise the collective buying 

 of implements, seeds, manures, fertilizers, and distribute them among their 

 members at cost price. 



The co-operative agricultural consortia are open to all persons who are 

 at the head of a farm and buy or sell articles useful to agriculture. 



The societies for the mutual insurance of live stock propose to indemnity 

 their members for losses resultant on injuries suffered by their insured ani- 

 mals. 



All these societies tend moreover to improve the agricultural industry 

 and raise the moral and intellectual level of their members. 



The co-operative credit societies and the rural funds have had the lar- 

 gest dev'elopment, having 10,300 members, 35,000 liras in capital shares and 

 a turnover of about 9,500,000 liras. Next to them come the co-operative 

 agricultural consortia which have 2,200 members, 82,000 liras in capital 

 shares and a turnover of 230,000 liras ; while the cooperative agricultural 

 societies have 1,500 members, 20,000 liras of capital and a turnov'er of 

 125,000 liras ; and the mutual live stock societies about 2,000 members. 



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5. THE "FEDERAZIONE ITAI^IANA DEI CONSORZI AGRARI" IN 1916. — V Italia 



Ru rale, organ of this federation, 25 th j^ear. No. 353, Piacenza, 10 March 1917- 



The report of the administrative council of this Italian Federation of 

 Agricultural Consortia of Piacenza shows that in 1916 sales brought in 



