61 



(viii). Co-operative dairying. 



The successful co-operative credit society in rural tracts, as 

 has been already noted, is not slow to recognize the profits to 

 be derived from engaging in the cattle trade. It would also 

 appear that such societies are quite ready to devote their surplus 

 funds to breeding cattle for their own use or for sale, if free 

 distribution of bulls by the District Boards is discontinued. Their 

 attention might also be devoted to the profit which may be ex- 

 pected from co-operative dealing in dairy produce. The successful 

 experience of similar undertakings in Ireland and the profits 

 made in the milk and ghi trade throughout the province fully 

 justify a recommendation that prosperous societies should embark 

 in the business of co-operative dairying. 



As regards the milk trade it has been shown in the last 

 paragraph that milk cannot be supplied to any centre from 

 outside a radius of more than 10 or at the most 15 miles. 

 The co-operative movement has had its chief success at a greater 

 distance than this from important cities and towns, and it is 

 desirable that such enterprises as cattle breeding and dairying 

 should be grafted on to existing societies which have already 

 prospered rather than societies should be formed for these special 

 objects. But many villages near cities and townn really depend 

 quite as much on market gardening or dairying as on ordinary 

 agriculture and there is no reason why in the case of these villages 

 co-operative credit societies should not be based on what is, after 

 all, their principal industry. In the previous paragraph the 

 conditions necessary for improvement of the milk supply have 

 been discussed from the point of view of the small capitalist. If 

 co-operative societies enter the field they might reasonably expect 

 to obtain the same assistance from Government in the shape of 

 a guaranteed certainty of custom for their improved, but more 

 costly, produce. It is possible however that a well developed 

 co-operative sj stem, by cuttinor down the excessive profits of the 

 middleman might result in the supply of improved produce with 

 no greater expense to the city consumer. It is believed that 

 the Registrar of Co-operative Credit Societies considers these 

 proposals favourably and is prepared to undertake experiments 

 in such trading. 



In the case of the ghi trade the question of distance 

 does not arise. Most villages engage in the business and it 

 should therefore be easy to find existing societies ready to add 

 trade in ghi to their other activities. It should not be a difficult 

 matter to arrange for the collection of the ghi and for the sharing 

 of the profits in the proportion of the amount contributed by 



