THE DISTRICT OF TRENT, A MODEI. CO-OPERATIVE DISTRICT I7 



sortiums, founded in accordance with the law of April 9th., 1873 {Bull. 

 Imperial Laws, No. 70), and existing in the Trent District. 



At the moment of its formal constitution (November 20th., 1895) the 

 Federation included 38 consortiums, that is, 8 rural banks and 30 co- 

 operative societies. Ten years later, in 1906, the Federated Societies were 

 413, and of these 155 were rural banks and 258 co-operative consortiums; 

 in 1912 there were 453 federated societies, 284 being co-operative consor- 

 tiums and 169 rural banks. The work of the Federation is most active and 

 beneficial in the matter of inspection. By the provisions of the rules the 

 federated consortiums are subject since 1895 to a general inspection to be 

 made, as a rule every two years. This inspection was made compulsory 

 by law of June loth., 1903 {Bull. Imperial Laws, No. 133), as a result of which 

 every economic consortium founded in accordance with the law No. 70, 

 of April 9th. , 1873 is obUged to submit to a general inspection every two years. 



In consequence of this, the Federation has been legally recognised as an 

 institution for supervision, with its authority to inspect legally recognised 

 and authorized {Lieutenant Governor's Order of August 4th., 1903, No. 33,632. 

 Bull. Department cf Justice. No. 25). The Federation itself was later on 

 entrusted by the Commercial Courts of Trent, Rovereto, and Botzen with 

 the ofiScial inspection of the consortiums not federated in it. 



From 1896 to 1906 the Federation made 902 inspections, occupying 

 3.935 working days : to the report of his inspection the inspector generally 

 adds a comment, either to explain the report to the General Meetings or 

 the Boards of Management, or for some other purpose. The action of the 

 Federation in this department is of great importance for the regulai 

 work of the societies. 



The Federation also occupies itself with the technical education of the 

 staff in order to obtain a uniform s\ stem of bookkeeping f r the rural 

 banks and the co-operative cons, rtiums. In order to attain this end, the 

 Federation has initiated a series of courses of education, of ten days' 

 duration, repeated each year, and at the end of the courses there are examin- 

 ations ; the Federation gives certificates of attendance, showing the results 

 of the examinations and attesting the abiHty of the candidate to 

 keep books according to the system approved by the Federation itself 

 and these certificates facilitate his employment in the federated societies 

 either as warehouseman, accountant for the distributive co-operative so- 

 cieties or as accountant and cashier in the Rural Banks. 



In these educational courses the rules, internal regulations and laws 

 relating to the economic consortiums are explained ; the maimer of corre- 

 sponding with the Government authorities is also taught; the organization 

 of co-operation in the Trent District is explained, including everj'thing 

 relating to the propaganda and development of the associations. 



