l6 AUSTRIA - CO-OPERATION AND ASSOCIATION 



others have failed, above all through insufficient technical knowledge. There 

 are now only three consortiums of the kind with i ,223 members. 



Some other consortiums have also been founded on co-operative prin- 

 ciples, for example, joiners', blacksmiths' consortiums etc., but for many 

 reasons they have not had the success expected of them. 



There are, finally, in the district, brocade consortiums, bakers' consor- 

 tiums, various consortiums, for example, for weaving and spinning flax etc. 



D. — The Central Federation. 



The Federation of the Rural Banks and Co-operative Societies of 

 the Itahan Part of the Province of the Tyrol with head quarters at Trent, 

 was founded in 1895 ^^^ received legal recognition on December 4th. of 

 that year. 



The object of the Federation is : 



(i) To promote co-operation generally and especially that form of 

 it concerned with the development of personal credit and saving among 

 the agricidtural classes ; 



(2) To encourage its development and progress by means of improved 

 rules and the adoption of correct and uniform technical and administrat- 

 ive principles, 



(3) To supervise the working of the societies by means of ordinary and 

 extraordinary inspections ; 



(4) To defend and watch over their moral, material, legal and admin- 

 istrative interests ; 



(5) To develop and direct the work of credit, purchase and sale and 

 promote mutual business relations; 



(6) To promote mutual assistance of every possible kind among its 

 members. 



The Federation has two Divisions: one for Rural Banks, the other 

 for all other co-operative societies. Each Division has its own general 

 meetings, its own Council, Executive and Presidential Committees; the two 

 Divisions together form the General Congress; the two Divisional Councils 

 form the Federal Council; the two Divisional Executive Committees form 

 the Permanent Executive Committee ; the two Vice Presidents, together 

 with the General President, form the Presidential Committee. 



The means the Federation employs to attain the above ends are 

 various; amongst them we shall mention: propaganda by means of the press 

 and lectures ; ordinary and special inspections of technical, administrative 

 and legal business, legal consultation and protection, instruction in technical, 

 administrative and book keeping matters. 



The funds needed are supphed by the Government and the Province by 

 way of subventions and when these do not suffice, by the federated societies 

 by means of annual contributions of amounts fixed each year by the Gen- 

 eral Congress in accordance with the estimates. The Federation is a civil 

 society regulated by law of November 15th,. 1867, {Bull. Imperial Laws, 

 No. 134), and extend ing its action only to industrial and economic con- 



