THE GENERAL RAIFFEISEN FEDERATION OF NEL'WIED 13 



sion for the State. As regards value the trade has increased by 163.7 P^^ 

 cent., which is to say that prices have risen ver\^ much. 



6. The trade in maclxines duringe the war has diminished in respect 

 of value by 3.5 million marks, that is b}^ 36.5 per cent. In the annual re- 

 port it is noted regretfully that the diminution is not due to a decreased 

 demand but to a decreased supply, the importation of machines from Great 

 Britain and the United States having become impossible during the war. 



7. The trade in goods comprised by the heading " other articles " 

 has increased by 73.3 per cent, during the war. The whole of such increase 

 is in the commissioned trade in potatoes on behalf of the State, as is seen 

 by the following table which shows the trade in potatoes of the co-operative 

 stores of Brunswick, Dantzig, Koenigsberg and Nuremberg (i). 



Quantity Value 



I Jan. 1913 to 30 June 1914 .... 35'5,48i zenlneis 955,000 marks 

 30 June 1914 " 31 Dec. 1915 .... 563,434 " 2,542,000 



As is seen by these figures the quantity has increased by 58.5 per cent 

 and the value by 166. i per cent., which is to say that prices have risen. 

 We are therefore in a position to draw the following conclusions : 



a) The trade on behalf of co-operative societies in all articles of mer- 

 chandise has diminished in respect of quantity. In respect of value, only 

 the trade in manures has diminished, while the trade in all other articles 

 of merchandise has increased owing to the considerable rise in prices. 



b) The trade on commission on behalf of the State, which is a quite 

 new form of activity for these institutions, has been very important espe- 

 cially where it has concerned corn and potatoes, and in fact all foodstuffs. 



(i) The other institutions gi^■e no figures retiardiiig the trade in potatoes. 



