THE LAND QUESTION AND COLONISATION III 



fixed at an absurdly low figure, before the current market prices can be 

 known. 



"Now", continues Senor Aldunate, "the remedy to be adopted is 

 association among our producers and especially co-operation, so efficacious 

 in other countries. 



In Chile, at the present day, association and co-operative organisation 

 are absolutely necessary for tlie agriculturists who lead isolated lives, in a 

 dangerous state of ignorance. 



An equall}' imperious and inevitable necessity which must on no 

 account be overlooked is that of introducing land credit and agricultural 

 insurance, which as 3^et do not exist in Chile. 



These ideas have been favourably received in Chile and there is al- 

 ready in the country a movement in favour of co-operation and agri- 

 cultural credit on a co-operative basis. 



The press has unanimously supported this movement; the National 

 Society of Agriculture has encouraged meetings and lectures on the 

 subject ; the " Agricultural Social Week of Santiago " and the District 

 Agricultural Congress of Concepcion ; both held in 1913, approved the 

 following resolution by acclamation : " The District Congress of Concep- 

 cion recommends to the agriculturists of the country the study of agri- 

 cultural co-operative credit on the Raiffeisen sj^stem, vvdth the object 

 of introducing it among ourselves, and thus contributing to the progress 

 of our agriculture, and to the economic and moral elevation of our 

 peasantry. " 



The State on its side seeks to encourage agricultural progress more 

 especially through technical education and exhibitions of produce and 

 cattle shows. The Office of Statistics has lately been re-organised, with 

 a special department for agricultural statistics, which will probably be 

 of great service. 



But the efforts of the State in favour of agriculture cannot be effic- 

 acious, without the concentration of the various departments under one 

 uniform management. They are all now independent, an arrangement 

 not always successful. 



As a remedy for these defects, a bill has been drafted for the creation 

 of a Department of Agriculture, to carry out systematically and continu- 

 ously the programme of agricultural policy demanded by the new require- 

 ments of the national agriculture. 



