THE CO-OPERATIVB OILMII,!^ IN DAI^MATIA 15 



own members the opportunity of grinding their cereals in these societies' 

 mills. At present the cost of grinding must not be less than two crowns for 

 a quintal and must be paid immediately in cash. When competing mills 

 exist alread3% co-operative mills should not be installed. Mills worked by 

 hydraulic power are the least costly and those worked by a benzine engine 

 the most costly. Those propelled by engines for heavy oil and gas aspira- 

 tion engines cost less, but are not adapted to important mills needing great 

 power. If electric power can be obtained on good terms an electric engine 

 is preferable to any other. 



§ 4. Generai, Resui^ts. 



To resume ; the production of olives and the preparation of olive-oil 

 are undertaken by co-operative societies for this purpose, who^e activity is 

 constantly controlled by the section for olive-oil at Zara of the Landeskul- 

 tiirrat of the kingdom of Dalmatia. Sales are undertaken by this section in 

 the capacity of an office for sales on commission. It directs, among other 

 things, a central warehouse provided with all modern technical improve- 

 m.ents and able to store from 4,000 to 5,000 quintals — that is 10 per cent, 

 of the average total of a good harvest in Dalmatia. About one tenth of 

 the Dalmatian production seems indeed to be organized co-operatively. 



The costs of preparing olive oil — exclusive of those of producing the 

 oil and the oHves — vary much, their average being — according to the re- 

 sults obtained hitherto — about 5 crowns for 100 kilogrammes of olives 

 or 30 crowns for 100 kilogrammes of oil, that is from 20 to 30 per cent, of 

 the effective or market value of the oil. These costs might in time be reduced 

 by a third or perhaps a half, given average ohve harvests and their econom- 

 ical exploitation. The section for oils of the LandeskitUnrrat pays the co- 

 operatve societies advances on their oil, almost always at the rate of the 

 market price of common oil, and writes off such advances against the money 

 it eventually pa^'s for the oil. The price has latterly varied from 85 to 

 100 crowns for 100. kilogrammes of oil. 



The following table shows the importance and the results of realizing 

 the value of the oil by a co-operative method. It should be remembered 

 that the Podgora co-operative society for oil production has not yet deli- 

 vered any oil, and also that the figures which show the oil circulated by the 

 central warehouse, in the capacity of an office for sales on commission, are 

 really higher by about a third than those in the table, because other asso- 

 ciations and also individuals regularly deliver oil to be sold on commission 

 on the same terms. 



