ASSOCIATIONS OF EMPLOYERS 33 



resistance more secure. It also aims at promoting economic action in the 

 field of thrift, insurance and credit. 



Agriculturists resident in communes where there is no confederated 

 society may also enter the Confederation as associates, and they appoint 

 a communal agricultural committee for each commune. The contributions 

 of the adherent associations are in proportion to their funds. 



This is the not place for us to give a full description of the work of 

 this Confederation from its rise. It is enough to observe that in the disturb- 

 ances which convulsed the provinces of Romagna, Ferrara and Vercelli, it 

 in every instance represented the land-holders with the central Government, 

 promoted meetings and agricultural congresses, especially that of the 

 associations of employers of all Europe, convoked by it and the Italian 

 Industrial Confederation combined. 



§ 4. Economic institutions promoted by the national 

 agricultural association and by the federated associations. 



As already said, the agricultural societies of employers do not limit their 

 task to resistance ; they rather wait their opportunity to estabUsh various 

 institutions, both economical and technical, among their own members, 

 in the interest of the latter. Of these bodies we shall now briefly speak : 



(a) Mutual Society for Insurance against Strikes. Founded in 1907, 

 on the initiative of the Interprovincial Agricultural Federation (i), it aims 

 to make good damage from : 



(a) the forced desertion of land before the sowing of seed : (6) loss 

 or diminution of the products ; (c) death or disease 01 cattle through 

 neglect or want of proper care ; (d) the greater expense in working the 

 farm caused by economic disputes. 



These losses are only compensated when caused " by unjust strikes, 

 by boycotting or locking out ". Compensation is also refused to the member 

 who has culpably (by violation of a contract, arbitrary dismissal or mal- 

 treatment of one or more employees) caused or aggravated the conflict. 



This society, like most others for insurance against losses, does not 

 guarantee full compensation for the thing lost or damaged, but only 80% in 

 a case of strike or boycott, and go % in a case of lock-out, as it is desired 

 that the employer should bear some of the loss himself. 



The society derives its funds chiefly from the premiums of its members, 

 in proportion to the value insured, according to a tariff varying with the 

 place and kind of farming. It has a special fund formed, in part of the 

 contributions of land-holding members, at the rate of 12 frs. per hectare 

 and in part of those of tenant farmers, at the rate of 6 frs. per hectare. 



(i) On this subject, sec "La Mutiia-Scioperi, sue basi economiche e suo ordinnmcuto" by 

 G. E. Sturani, Bologna, A. Garagnani, 1909. 



