COLI^ECTIVE SAI,E OF CEREALS 43 



undertaken to act as intermediaries between the brewers and the farmers, 

 and thus exert a beneficent regulating action. 



In a single year, 1911, about 20,000 hi. of barley were thus sold to the 

 brewers by six societies. We shall examine in detail the operations thus 

 conducted by one of them, the Agricultural Society of the Province of Kana- 

 gawa. 



This society makes collective sales exclusively to the brewery of Me- 

 guro (Tokio), belonging to the Dai-Nippon Biru Kahushiki-Kwaisha 

 (Limited lyiability Society for Brewing Dai-Nippcn Beer). The societ)^ after 

 an agreement with the managers of the Brewery, estimates the approx- 

 imate amount of barley required for the coming year ; then, chiefly through 

 its affiHated societies scattered over the province, it urges the farmers to con- 

 clude special contracts with the breweries, by which they bind them- 

 selves to supply a certain quantity of barley of definite quahty within a stated 

 period. In this way, supply and demand are suitably regulated to the 

 advantage of both parties. When the time comes for the deliver}^ of the bar- 

 ley, the samples are inspected : a special commission on which are repre- 

 sented both the purchasing breweries and the agricultural societies, and on 

 which there are also officers attached to the experimental farms, fixes the 

 standard, after an examination of the samples sent by the various farmers. 

 When the barley is deHvered, it is examined, compared with the stand- 

 ard, and classified according to its quality. 



The price is fixed, in accordance with the provisions of the contract, 

 by the manager of the brewerj^ and the manager of the society. The 

 systems vary sHghtly from each other, especially in regard to the additions 

 to be made to the standard price. 



The standard price is always the average of the prices on the Tokio 

 Exchange during the ten days precendig the coming into force of the con- 

 tract. To this are added the amounts required to cover the general expenses. 

 In 1908 four qualities of barley were considered : the additional expenditure 

 was calculated as follows : 



(«) If the standard price was less than 6 yen per koku, the con- 

 tract price for the four qualities was established by adding to the stand- 

 ard price respectively 2,20 yen for the ist. quality, 1.60 yen for the 

 second, 1.20 yen for the third, and 0.90 yen for the fourth; 



(h) If the standard price was more than 6 yen per koku, the amounts 

 to be added were 2.00 yen for the first quality, 1.40 yen for the second, i.oo 

 yen for the third and 0.80 yen for the fourth. 



In 1909 there were only three qualities of barley considered. The stand- 

 ard price was calculated as in the previous year. The additional amounts 

 were 2.20 yen, 1.60 yen and 1.30 yen respectively for the three quahties, 

 if the standard price was less than 6 yen per koku, and 2.00 yen, 1.40 yen 

 and 1. 10 yen, respectively, if the standard price was more than 6 yen per 

 koku. In 1910 again there were three classes of barley and the standard 

 price was calculated as before. The additions to be made were 2.40 yen, 

 2.00 yen and 1.30 yen respectively when the standard price was less than 



