IXFORMATIOX Rp:LATING TO CO-OPERATIOX AND ASSOCIATION 1 7 



to consider some questions specially interesting to co-operative socie- 

 ties. The position of the co-operative movement in this province was 

 shown by a detailed report, from which the following figures, having re- 

 ference to 31 December 1916, emerge : 33 co-operative consumers' societies 

 had 462S members, and a paid-ui> capital of 245,000 liras, and had made sales 

 for 1,632,854 liras, a sum estimated to have risen to 3,000,000 liras in 1917 ; 

 27 co-operative societies of production and labour had 2675 members, 

 and a capital of 318,280 liras, and had done work worth 1,177,174 liras; 

 five agricultural co-operative societies had 191 7 members who farmed 

 428.7705 hectares, rented in-the aggrgate at 75,406 liras, and the harvests 

 brought in to them 281,723.15 liras. 



There was discussion as to action to be taken in connection with re- 

 ligious and public bodies to obtain leases of their lands for the co-operative 

 societies. The matter was dealt with by Signor G. Faraboli who by means 

 of facts — in particular a comparison between the production of two farms, 

 in the same district and of almost equal extent, of which one was let to a 

 co-operative society and the other to an individual — brought into relief 

 the desirability of choosing co-operative societies as tenants of public 

 bodies. A resolution embodying this conclusion was adopted. 



The matter of " legislation in favour of agricultural co-operation " 

 was dealt with by the Hon. M. Samoggia, who justified a resolution which 

 claimed for associated labourers, a preference, analogous to that already 

 given in the case of public contracts, when leases of the lands of public 

 bodies were granted. He asked that the laws governing contracts of leases 

 and agricultural contracts in general should be equal. Finally a vote was 

 passed in favour of the wished-for constitution of a provincial federation 

 of Parmesan co-operative agricultural societies, and of the complete solu- 

 tion of the problem of society insurance. 



* 



5. A CO-OPERATIVE ASSOCIATION AMONG OAVNERS AND USUFRUCTORIES OF 

 WOODS. — By-laws of the "'Societc'i toscana per I'industria dei boschi" {Tuscan Society 

 for the Forest Industry), Florence, 1917. 



This society was constituted at Florence on 20 Juh' 117. It aims at 

 selling woodland products in common, opening magazines for selling them, 

 making advances on them to members or obtaining such for members, 

 planting nurseries for reafforestation, and constituting an office for tech- 

 nical advice on forestry and the valuation of products, and an office for legal 

 consultations on the application of forest laws and rules. It further 

 proposes to work up and convert forest products. It is the business of the 

 concil of administration to establish the criteria for and the limits of such 

 aims of the society. The following classes of persons may be members : 

 a) owners, occupiers and administrators of woodlands ; b) all persons in 

 a ])osition usefully to forward the society's aims, including corporations 

 and societies having analogous aims. The society's capital is formed of : 

 i) shares subscribed by the members, each of the nominal value of 100 liras. 



