14 SWITZERLAND - CO-DPERATION AXD ASSOCIATION 



toes, rather however out of consideration for the public than in the hope of 

 securing new supplies for consumption. The union opposed a proposal to 

 requisition potatoes because it was already the agriculturist's interest to 

 sell his whole available supply and requisition might have influenced the 

 potato crops unfavourably. The principal task of the State is to provide 

 as ample a supply of seeds as possible and to persuade those interested to 

 grow potatoes as extensively as possible. The importance of taking in- 

 ventories of the available supply is that it prepares the way for the discharge 

 of this task. 



The union has been occupied with the reduction of the rate for the ex- 

 traction of meal, the provision of home-grown cereals as fodder, the guaran- 

 teeing of a minimum price for cereals, the utilization of rye for the brewing 

 industry, the prohibition which burdens trade in forage, the price of straw 

 and the supply of straw to the army, the delivery of live stock for butchery 

 to the army, the export of income producing stock and of young pigs, and 

 questions relative to milk and dairy products. The union's action in endeav- 

 ouring to obtain leave for soldiers belonging to the cheesemaking industry 

 has not been unattended with difficulty but has been crowned with success. 

 The union has also been occupied with the question of obtaining payments 

 for hire for requisitioned horses, and that of suppressing such requisition and 

 causing a return to the method of supplying horses voluntarily. Swiss 

 agriculture is represented at the general meeting of the Socieie Suisse de 

 Surveillance Economique (Swiss Society of Economic Superintendence), or 

 S. S. S., by the national counsellor, M. Chuard and by Dr. Laur. These have 

 taken advantage of opportunities for discussing the needs of agriculture, 

 especially where the acquisition of forage is concerned. Most of the fe- 

 derations of agricultural syndicates have adhered to the S. S. S. This affi- 

 liation has given the agricultural syndicates of Romanic Switzerland an 

 opportunity to group themselves unitedly, thus satisfying a long felt want. 

 M. Chuard, member of the union's managing committee, and M. Laur, di- 

 rector of the Swiss Peasants' Secretariat, were the delegates of the Federal 

 Council at the negotiations in Paris with the allied countries as to the vic- 

 tualling of Switzerland. 



b) Law as to epizooty policies, application of the law as to insurance against 

 sickness and accidents, the customs tariff and other enterprise. 



In 1 91 5 the proposed revision of the federal law as to the campaign 

 against epizooty, published by the federal council in the message of 15 

 March 1915, was carefully examined by the union and the secretar5^ Their 

 conclusions on the subject were resumed by the committee and then trans- 

 mitted to the commission of the federal Chambers. These began in 1916 

 to discuss the proposal, and the desires of the union were partially taken 

 into consideration and in a measure respected. 



The administrative council of the Caisse nationale Suisse d' assurance 

 en cas d'accidents (Swiss National Fund for Insurance against Accidents) 

 is concerned with the institution of compulsory insurance and prepara- 



