INFORMATION RELATING TO CO-OPERATION AND ASSOCIATION 



27 



been empowered by a statute of 1895, having reference to 1905, to conduct 

 such enterprise. The number of co-operative credit unions who take upon 

 themselves the task of providing agricultural machines for the rural popu- 

 lation increases year by year, as does the sum of money which they thus 

 employ. These facts appear from the following table : 



Number of Co-operative 

 Supply Associations 



Sums they spend on buying 

 Agricultural Machines 



1910. 

 1911. 

 1912. 



1913- 

 1914. 



3,200,000 roubles 

 4,900,000 

 6,346,000 

 0,638,000 

 14,000,000 " 



Last year co-operative suppty was responsible for lo.S per cent, of 

 the whole trade in machines. 



The sums which the co-operative unions lend to their members for the 

 purchase of agricultural machines vary in amount. According to an en- 

 quiry made by the Distribution of Agricultural Machines the following sums 

 were lent with this object in 191 2 by the co-operative credit unions and the 

 savings and loan funds to their members : 



by 7,754 co-operative credit unions. 

 » 1,558 savings and loan funds. . 



in all. . 



8,635,921 roubles (i) 

 3.029,850 » 



11,665,771 



Of the 3,000 co-operative unions (20 per cent, of all the credit unions), 

 which in 1914 undertook the supply of agricultural machines, only 723 

 were combined in the eleven following federations of co-operative unions : 



(i) I rouble cf gold = about 2S i ^ rf at psr. 



