208 AGRICULTURAL ORGANISATION 



are not increased proportionately to the number of pigs 

 handled. From experience is seems to be tolerably certain 

 that the working expenses in dealing with 500 per week, 

 while greater, are still comparable with the expenses when 

 only 100 pass through the factory weekly, though in the 

 latter case the initial cost of construction and equipment 

 would be considerably less, yet even then not propor- 

 tionately so. Judging from the co-operative factories 

 established in other countries and from private concerns 

 in our own, it seems that a weekly supply of from 300 to 500 

 pigs is necessary, the latter figure being the more desirable. 

 The smaller of these quantities represents a supply of over 

 1,500 per annum, a number sufficiently large to be secured 

 only with some difficulty even in those districts which are 

 noted for their output of pigs of the right size and quality, 

 suitable for manufacture into high quality bacon. 



Hence, to begin with, a co-operative factory would have 

 to be located in a district where an adequate supply of pigs 

 would be available. Even then, however, there would require 

 to be a guarantee of absolute loyalty on the part of the 

 members towards their society, owing to the danger that they 

 might yield to the temptation of private bacon factories, 

 and accept higher prices offered with the design of with- 

 drawing supplies from the co-operative factory, though such 

 prices would, of course, only be given until the new factory 

 had collapsed. 



In Denmark, where co-operative bacon factories have been 

 highly successful, the difficulty here in question is met by 

 the members of a society voluntarily binding themselves, 

 under a penalty, to send all their pigs to the co-operative 

 bacon factories. It is feared, however, that in England, 

 where the co-operative idea is not yet so fully established as 

 in Denmark, there would be great difficulty in securing 

 acceptance of the principle of such a penalty as this. 



Another no less important matter of detail is that for 

 the starting of a co-operative bacon factory on a sufficiently 

 large scale capital to the extent of from 15,000 to 20,000 

 would be necessary. Building and equipment would alone 



