AUSTRIA - CO-OPERATION AND ASSOCIATION 



Raifleisen banks and livestock insurance associations, which were soon 

 founded on the initiative of these priests in various localities, first of all at 

 Capriva, Turriaco, Staranzano, Vermiliano and Grado. In 1899, four Raif- 

 feisen banks, two insurance associations and a labourers' co-operative 

 society united to form a federation, under the name of " Federazione delle 

 casse rurali e del sodalizi cooperativi per la parte italiana delta provincia 

 di Gorizia e Gradisca," with headquarters at Goritz. It is to be observed that, 

 in contrast with all the other Austrian co-operative federations, this one 

 started with a confessional basis, as it is laid down as one of its fundamental 

 rules that the co-operative societies must maintain Christian principles and 

 provide for the moral and material improvement of the conditions of exist- 

 ence of each of their members. The rules impose on the members the duty 

 of scrupulously maintaining the Cathohc spirit of the institution. From 

 the date of the formation of the federation the advance of co-operation 

 was rapid. There were : 



LiTCstock Co-operatire 

 Insutaace Societies Other 



In the Year Raifleisen CooperatiTe for Purchase Co-operatiTc » 



— Banks Societies and Sale Societies 



1898 7 6 — 2 



1899 8 9 — 4 



1900 8 10 — 6 



1901 8 13 — 6 



1902 9 15 2 6 



1903 12 15 2 IT 



1904 13 16 2 II 



1905 16 16 3 II 



1906 19 18 3 II 



1907 28 18 4 18 



Thus at the end of 1907 there were altogether 74 co-operative societies 

 working with a total number of 6,800 members. 



On October 13th., 1907, the organization of the federation underwent 

 a radical change, being transformed into a limited liability association in 

 the sense of the law on co-operative societies, under the name of "Federa- 

 zione dei consorzi agricoli del Friuli, " with headquarters at Goritz. This 

 transformation was due to the rapid development of co-operation in Friuli 

 to which the former legal form of the federation was no longer suited. The 

 desire of assimilating the Friuli federation to the other federations of Aust- 

 rian co-operative societies may also have contributed to the change. 



According to the new rules, one of the essential objects of the federation 

 is the constitution of a clearing house for the various Raiffeisen banks adher- 

 ing to it ; these banks are bound to pay over to the federation all their 



