82 UNITED STATES - CREDIT 



The American Commission extended its investigations to all forms of 

 agricultural co-operation and, in order to ensure that its work should lack 

 nothing in completeness was divided into four sections : (i) Finance, 

 (2) Production, (3) Distribution and, (4) The Organization of Agriculture 

 and Rural Life. 



The itinerary of the tour and the general plans for the work of investi- 

 gation were arranged almost wholly in advance by the International Inst- 

 itute of Agriculture. In each country visited every facihty for investiga- 

 tion was aiforted to the Joint Commission. As a rule a detailed programme 

 had been arranged by the Government of each country acting through the 

 Department of Agriculture in conjunction with co-operative societies and 

 institutions, and the programme was almost invariably carried out to the 

 letter. 



Two principal methods were employed in the work of investigation. 

 In the first place hearings in the nature of conferences were held in most 

 of the towns visited. These conferences or " Juries of Enquiry ", were 

 addressed by persons of recognized authority, who described the work 

 done by Government and by voluntary agencies in connection with the 

 various forms of co-operation. Questions were addressed to each speaker 

 by selected delegates, and all statements made in the Juries of Enquiry, 

 together with the questions and answers, were recorded in writing. 



The second method of investigation, used as frequently as possible, 

 was the inspection of co-operative institutions at work. Visits were paid, 

 as a rule by Sub-commissions, to a large number of rural banks, land-mort- 

 gage institutions, co-operative creameries and dairies and to the offices 

 of agricultural societies and associations. Wherever possible the responsible 

 officers ot the different institutions visited were interviewed in a conference 

 conducted on the Hne^ of the more formal Juries of Enquiry. The various 

 Sub-commis.sions handed in written reports of their labours to a Compil- 

 -ation Committee which was charged with the work of collecting and 

 arranging the material to be incorporated in the Report of the Commission. 



To some extent also material was collected by individual members 

 of the Commissions in interviews with responsible Government officers 

 and other authorities. 



The amount of written and printed material which accumulated in 

 the hands of the Compilation Committee during the three months' tour was 

 naturally very great. It comprised the records of proceedings in Juries of 

 Enquiry, reports of vSub-commissions, special reports submitted by the 

 officers of co-operative societies and associations, and a great deal of contri- 

 buted material in the form of annual reports of co-operative societies , cop- 

 ies of constitutions and by-laws, specimen forms of contract, etc. 



On the return of the Joint Commission to the United States, two Com- 

 mittees were appointed to examine the evidence collected and draw up a 

 report on behalf of the American Commission. The United States Commi.s- 

 sion had naturally to draw up an independent report, though the Commis- 

 sions co-operated in the laborious work of examining, translating, and edit- 

 ing the material collected. The American Commission decided to issue 



