41 PROVISION OF BORROWING FACILITIES. 



Associations ; but they would probably be more effective to begin 

 with at least, as independent bodies. In any case the District Officer 

 should be Honorary President. He would exercise a very useful 

 supervision without interfering too minutely or making success depen- 

 dent on his continuance in the district. Tn time these Committees 

 might become very useful assistants to the Agricultural Department. 

 One of their most important duties would be to develop agricultural 

 co-operation in production and sale ; and it is the experience of every 

 country that the direct linking of the agriculturist with the general 

 market by a co-operative machinery is one of the most effective 

 means of teaching improved method of cultivation, breeding, etc. 



(7) Lastly, I think that Government should give some financial 

 assistance to the District Committees. They ought, of course, to be 

 composed of voluntary helpers, but there are bound to be expenses of 

 management which Government might, at least, in part defray. This 

 assistance would probably best be given in the form of a small yearly 

 grant to each district. These grants would not, of course, be permanent, 

 but would be continued until the movement in each area became self- 

 supporting. There can be no objection to this from a co-operative 

 standpoint ; even the violent opponents of State aid make a distinction 

 in favour of Government grants to propagandist effort. Instances 

 might be drawn from many countries. I need mention only the consi- 

 derable subsidy which up to last year the Irish Agricultural Organi- 

 sation Society received from the Irish Department of Agriculture, and 

 the proposed grant to British Agricultural Organisation Societies under 

 the recent Development Bill, which I understand is not objected to by 

 co-operators. 



I would be glad if this Conference would consider the above rough 

 sketch of the line I propose to take next year. Discussion may elicit 

 a more practicable scheme for enlisting popular interest and support." 



MR. GOURLAY (Bengal) entirely agreed with MR. BUCHAN that the 

 movement could never be a real success unless and until it became a 

 national movement. Government had shown the way and had proved 

 the endless possibilities of combination ; but it could not undertake 

 the indefinite extension and supervision of societies, and co-operLtion 

 would never become a power in the land until it became a really popu- 

 lar movement. The question before the Conference was what practical 

 means could be taken to secure this end. Various schemes liad been 

 suggested in Bengal. MR, BUCHAN had just explained one of them 



