20 INFORMATION RELATING TO CO-OPERATION AND ASSOCIATION 



GER3IANY. 



HOUSEWIVES' AORICUT^TURAE ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR ACTIVITY. — 

 Boehiu, Elisabeth, in Blatter fiir Genossenachajtswesen. Berlin, ib September 1916. 



The aim of the first agricultural association of housewives in East 

 Prussia, which was founded nearl}^ twenty years ago and composed of 

 town and countrv' members, was to inculcate in its members the princi- 

 ples of a sound economic education, and to institute an office for the sale 

 to town housewives of fresh country' provisions. Countrywomen were 

 thus enabled to sell their produce more profitably than heretofore while 

 the large towns found themselves more amply and more economically 

 provided with foodstuffs. 



The selling offices further affect agriculture in that they induce those 

 interested in it to increase the cultivated area and to emplo3' the soil scien- 

 tifically, and in that they allow a large sale of small quantities of vegeta- 

 bles and fruit produced on distant farms. 



At present there is at least one housewives' association in each district 

 and a selling office in every small town. For the whole province the turn- 

 over of these organizations amounted in 1915 to 1,330,000 marks (i). 

 There are also twenty associations in West Prussia, thirteen in Pomerania, 

 twelve in Silesia and as mauA' in Schleswig-Holstein and in the pro\dnce 

 of Saxon^'. These have, following the example of East Prussia, grouped 

 themselves in provincial federations which have adhered to a Prussian 

 provincial federation. In all the other Prussian provinces and German 

 States a series of these associations are found, so that there are altogether 

 more than 120 of them founded on similar bases and working as free socie- 

 ties. This free form seems to suit the organizing activit}^ of women better 

 than the co-operative form, which invariably exacts a larger measure of 

 work and of responsibility than housewives are able to supply. In spite 

 of the unsuccessful experience at Hildesheim of a housewives' association 

 organized as a co-operative society, new attempts in this direction have 

 recentl}- been made in Hanover, which is the province par excellence of co- 

 operative organization. At Hanover itself, at Liinebourg and at Osna- 

 briick housewives' associations and selling offices, which are co-operative 

 in form, have been instituted. 



The financial results of the enterprise cannot as 3"et be estimated. 

 It is however certain that when several selling offices are established the 

 turnover of the smallest towns increases, while on the other hand the gene- 

 ral costs diminish. The free associations at first deduct 10 per cent, for 

 general costs, but subsequenth' often effect a reduction to 8 per cent. It 

 is found that the latter percentage will allow the maintenance of itinerant 

 instructors, and the institution of establishments for making jams and pre- 



(1) I mark = about 11 3/4 d. at par. 



