THE DISTRICT OF TRENT, A MODEL CO-OPERATIVE DISTRICT 23 



agement and administration, as is usual in such societies (see § 17 of the 

 Rules, specifying the duties of the Presidential Bureau). 



In terms of the law, every landlorder in the territory' of the co-operative 

 society, shown on the special cadastre, which is kept by the Con- 

 sortium itself, is a member of the Consortium. Membership of the 

 Consortium is a real imprescriptible obligation attached to the soil, according 

 to § 61 of the law No. 64 of August 28th., 1870 on Waters. To new supple- 

 mentary works the State contributes 50 %, the Province 20 % and the Con- 

 sortium 30 %. 



The cost of maintenance of all the works, for extinction of debt and 

 for the office expenses is covered by the contributions of members and those 

 from the River Basins, the Southern Railways, the Trent -Male Electric Tram- 

 way, the State Roads and the Valsugana Railway. The contributions of 

 the members and the additional amounts to be subtra.cted from each year's 

 revenue from direct taxes in the territory on the banks of the river (§ 5 

 of law No. 51 of December 30th., 1896) are collected by the Imperial and 

 Royal Taxation Offices (see also § 6 cf the Rules) (i). 



The Consorzio Atesino, supported by the State and the Provdnce, 

 has given excellent results and has largely contributed to the development 

 of agriculture in the district of Trent and to the economic progress of the 

 country. It was our duty, therefore, to refer also to this powerful instit- 

 ution before passing on to study and examine co-operation in the district 

 of Trent in all its varied manifestations. 



§ 2. Credit co-operation not strictly agricultural. 

 A. — People's Banks. 



[a) Co-operative Banks. 

 (Registered Limited Liability Economic Consortiums). 



The Trent Co-operative Bank is a limited liability co-operative asso- 

 ciation, founded in accordance with the law of April 9th., 1873 (Bulletin of 

 Imperial Laws, No. 70) the object of which is to obtain credit for its own 

 members by means of mutuality and savings. The capital of the soci- 

 ety is unlimited and is made up of shares (shares in the business, according 

 to § 76 of the law) subscribed by members, of the value of 20 crowns each, 

 the general reserve fund composed of the reserve fund of the consortium, 

 the local reserve funds of the head office and the branches and special funds 

 instituted for partictilar operations. As every member, in accordance with 

 § 76 of the law of April 9th. , 1873, is personally liable not only for the amount 



(i) For further information, see the Report of the Technical Bureau of the Adige 

 Consortiiun in 1913., bearing title of "La sistemazione deW Adige e la bonifica della Valle de 

 S. Michele a Sacco " Trent. Trent Art. Press, 1913. 



