Agricl'LTUral Orgaxizatiox. 259 



labour lie lias starved agriculture itself. The world in tlie past set 

 down the agricultural labourer as a "yokel," an ''unskilled hand," 

 whose labour could not be highly appraised, but recent history has 

 shown that his labour is as skilled as that of his industrial brothers. 

 The difference between the two is one not of degree but of kind. 



Profit-sharing in agriculture has been tried by progressive 

 farmers in England, e.g. Major Amos, and has met with success. 

 Mr. Edge has a different system. He gives his labourers every 

 opportunity and encouragement to learn their particular job 

 thoroughly. Any labourer in his employ has the right to go to the 

 office and obtain information as to how a particular branch of the 

 farm is run. Then if he has any suggestion to make he submits it in 

 writing and hands it in at the office, and for any of practical value 

 to the business, a bonus is paid. 



It is well known that cheap labour does not necessarily mean 

 economic output. Mr. Hockaday, a great American practical expert 

 in the sale of agricultural produce, urges farmers rather to employ an 

 expert packer at 5 dollars a day than an ordinary man at 1 dollar. 

 "Highly graded produce,'" so he adds, "in proper packing sells 

 itself, the trouble lies with culls, low-graded, and mixed shipments." 

 It is still an open question whether the farm tractor can economically 

 replace the span of oxen in South Africa, but there is a general 

 consensus of opinion that it soon will, and what preparations are we 

 making for that time? What proportion of oui' agricultural labourers 

 is able to work with machinery, let alone a complicated machine like 

 a tractor? 



(2) CO-OPERATIOX. 



Smith-Gordon says " Co-operation represejits the reaction of the 

 spirit in ordinary men of humble position and small resources against 

 the tyranny of a social order which has thrown all the advantages of 

 combination into the hands ""of the rich and the powerful. It is in 

 fact the weapon of those who strive towards a democratic control." 



True co-operation requires a certain type of human material both 

 for leaders and for followers, and this type must be built up (usually 

 out of adversity) by patient training. A co-operative society must 

 deal only in pure goods at clean prices — there is no room for fraud, 

 trickery, adulteration, or extortion. The greatest of all underlying 

 principles, however, is undoubtedly that when a man becomes a 

 member of a co-operative society he binds himself to support it — not 

 only by his trade but by his lively interest in its affairs. The careful 

 limitation of voting power to one vote for every member, be his 

 interest large or small, does more than confer a privilege upon the 

 member ; it lays upon him the responsibility and duty of exercising 

 his share of the control. Co-operation is based upon sound business 

 principles; the bond of association is primarily a material one. and 

 the form of constitution is built up exactly to correspond to practical 

 needs and to safeguard concrete rights. On the other hand, it offers 

 a method of bringing idealism into business and of training men to 

 help one another and the State through rational citizenship. Such 

 a movement demands that its pioneers must have, on the one hand, 

 business knowledge, clear judgment, foresight, intelligence; on the 

 other, honesty, faith, and, above all. loyalty. As the American 

 Senator, Mr. Gronna. remarked, "' there is no industry except farming 



