14 



BEI.GIUM - CO-OPERATION AND ASSOCIATION 



national. The most important of these is the Boerenbond (Peasants' League) , 

 with its head quarters at lyouvain, of wldch we have frequently spoken (i). 



On December 31st., 1911, there were 1,200 agricultural leagues, of 

 winch 814 had taken the form of professional unions (2). 



The 1,200 leagues had 78,123 members, of whom 42,539 belonged 

 to recognised unions. 



The following table shows the distribution of these leagues according 

 to provinces: 



Tabi,e II. — Distribution of Agricultural Leagues, according to provinces. 



Province 



lycagues Recognised as 

 Professional Unions 



Number of 

 I<eagues 



Number of 

 Members 



Leagues not Recognised 



Number of 

 I,eagues 



Number of 

 Members 



Antwerjj 



Brabant 



West Fianders 



East Flanders 



Hainaut 



I<i^ge 



lyimbourg 



I^uxembourg 



Namur 



Total 



84 

 124 

 76 

 32 

 58 



15 



281 

 136 



814 



582 



5.543 



10,952 



5.302 



1,789 

 2.857 

 1.378 

 8,637 

 5,499 



84 

 29 

 49 

 38 

 27 



5 

 147 



7 



42.539 



386 



7.093 

 4,027 

 4,078 

 5,221 

 1,398 



308 

 13,092 



367 



35,584 



The action of the agricultural leagues is exerted in the field of co-oper- 

 ation and mutuahty: in fact, in connection with the boerengilde, there is 

 always a co-operative institution, formed among its members. Generally, 

 a department is first formed for the collective purchase of necessities, which 

 often enters into business relations with similar departments of other asso- 

 ciations, so as to group together several orders for goods. Thus have arisen 

 the Central Purchase Societies which, on account of the importance of their 

 business, are able to deal directly with the producers and the large dealers. 

 Thus the purchase departments of the leagues affiliated to the Louvain 

 Boerenbond supply themselves from the central counting house (purchase 

 and sale office) of the Boerenbond, formed v^ith a capital of 217,000 frs. (3). 



(i) Sec Bulletin of Economic and Social InteUi'^ence, March, 1912, pp. 63 et scqq. anil Novem- 

 ber, 1913 pp. 9 et scqq. 



(2) See Bulletin of Economic and Social Intelli ;ence, December, 1910, ]). O3. 



(3) See Bulletin of Economic and Social Intelligence, November, 1913, p. 12. 



