WORK DONE OR PROJECTED 187 



Proposals for a combination between the two societies 

 were under consideration for some years, but there were 

 difficulties in the way of adopting this idea. The National 

 Poultry Organisation Society not only thought it desirable 

 that the promotion of the poultry industry should be 

 specialised and kept distinct from that of agriculture in 

 general, but the society had felt compelled, in the interests 

 of affiliated local societies, to organise trading, whereas the 

 Agricultural Organisation Society was a non-trading body. 



ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE NATIONAL POULTRY SOCIETY. 



These difficulties were overcome in 1909 by means of a 

 working agreement, in virtue of which the A. O. S. undertook 

 the organisation of local societies, the N. P. O. S. retaining 

 the other branches of its work. In July, 1911, the National 

 Poultry Organisation Society transferred its marketing 

 section to the British Poultry Federation, Ltd., which had 

 been formed by a number of local co-operative societies 

 engaged in the collection and marketing of eggs and poultry, 

 and undertook sale on their behalf. The federation, which 

 opened premises at 27, Hozier Lane, E.G., in January, 1912, 

 is registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies 

 Act, and is operated on a co-operative basis. 



By reason of the arrangement with the A. O. S., the 

 National Poultry Organisation Society was enabled to devote 

 more attention to the technical side of its work, and this was 

 of the greater importance inasmuch as comparatively Httle 

 was then still being done by the County Educational Com- 

 mittees in the matter of instruction in poultry keeping. 

 Although, too, a few colleges had taken up the subject, the 

 provision for teaching was totally inadequate. 



The work of the A. O. S. was especially directed to bring- 

 ing before agricultural co-operative societies where the 

 holdings of their members were moderate or small in acreage, 

 and the conditions generally were favourable the desira- 

 bility of adding the sale of eggs to other operations. 



Hitherto the great majority of the societies had devoted 



