22 INFORMATION RELATING TO CO-OPERATION AND ASSOCIATION 



this was to entrust the management of lands to the co-operative societies 

 formed by the agricultural labourers, whenever these gave proof of an ade- 

 quate technical and financial capacit5^ 



In order to guarantee that co-operative societies undertaking the man- 

 agement of the congregation's farms would be faithful to the principle of 

 co-operation, and that their technical, book-keeping and economic duties 

 would be regularly discharged, these societies were advised to join the Feder- 

 ation of Agricultural Co-operative Societies which has offices at Milan and 

 which proposes to aid agricultural co-operation in the matter of technique 

 and bookkeeping, financing it and assisting the societies' collective pur- 

 chases and sales. 



Further, in order to aid peasants working on farms let to individu;ils, 

 the council resolved : 



i) To render obligatory the contracts as to settlements and the 

 labour agreements in force in the respective districts, especially as regards : 



a) minimum wages in kind and money and in shares of profits ; 



h) hours of labour and of rest ; 



e) guarantees and insurances in cases of illness, accident, disablement 

 and old age ; 



d) the registration of contracts of settlement and labour bj^ employ- 

 ment offices ; 



e) the decision of disputes between employers and peasants by submit- 

 ting these to the commission of conciliation and arbitration annexed to the 

 employment offices. 



2) The council resolved that persons farming lands in districts in 

 which special settlement contracts and labour agreements were not in force, 

 should appl}^ the most favourable conditions as to hours and wages - both 

 in money and in kind — which were locally customary. 



They should annuall}^ deposit with the administration of the congre- 

 gation a copy of the contract made with ever}^ labouring family, which 

 should conform to a model furnished b}' the administration. 



The guarantees must be given to the peasants, to provide for the cases 

 of sickness, accident, disablement and old age, which we have already men- 

 tioned under letter c). 



Disputes arising between employers and peasants, and outside the ter- 

 ritorial sphere of the arbitrating commission, should be submitted for ami- 

 cable settlement to the president of the congregation's technical office. 



The share of the administration in the costs of these provisions for the 

 peasants will be : 



i) A quarter of the premium for insurance against accidents. 



2) One lira for each peasant registered or to be registered by the 

 National Thrift Fund (Cassa Nazionale di Providenza), such lira to dimi- 

 nish that minimum share of the registration fee which will be chargeable 

 to the peasant. 



3) A third of the premium for the insurance against fire of the 

 moveables, implements, clothes and food of a peasant, the other two thirds 

 remaining chargeable to the employer and to the peasant, respectively. The 



