40 JAPAN - CO-OPERATION AND ASSOCIATION 



transformed and took its present form of a co-operative society for credit, 

 sale and production. 



At the end of 1909, after four years' working, it had 332 members, 271 

 of them engaged in agriculture. Its capital consisted of 435 shares of 10 

 yen each. Indeed, to make it easier, even for the least weU off, to become 

 members, it is laid down in the rules that those who are not rich may be ad- 

 mitted to membership on payment of 2 yen at date of entrance, the balance 

 to be paid in successive instalments. 



As the organization of this society does not substantially differ from that 

 of Toyochi, with which we have just dealt, we shall not describe it over again. 

 We shall onty give a few figures from which an idea may be formed of the 

 progressive development of the business during the first four years. 



(a) Purchase Operations. 



The total amount of the purchase business of the society conducted 

 between 1906 and 1909 is shown in the following figures : 



1906 5'en 7,225 1908 3'en 14,342 



1907 " 15,884 1909 '■' 15,533 



(b) Sale Operations. 



The total amount of the sale business in the same period was as 

 under : 



1906 yen 7,697 1908 j^en 9,531 



1907 » 14,449 ^9*^9 " 13,609 



(C) Separate Commissariat Office of Ujina, (i) and thePurchase of Cereals from 

 the Co-operative Sale Societies. 



To show clearly the full importance of the small co-operative societies 

 for the sale of cereals to be fotmd in various parts of Japan, instead of con- 

 tinuing the fragmentary study of the work of the individual societies, it 

 will be more useful to give some figures showing how the military' author- 

 ities address themselves to these societies to obtain their suppUes. We 

 have already incidentally referred to this class of operations when speak- 

 ing of the Toyochi society ; we shall now say something in regard to pur- 

 chases made by one of the separate commissariat departments, that of 

 Ujina, from these sale societies. 



Let us first of all give a table showing these operations in detail, accord- 

 ing to the provinces in which the societies selling have their head quarters 

 and according to the goods purchased. 



(i) Ujina is at a little distance from Hirosliima and the War Departmenl has an im- 

 portant office there. 



