CO-OPERATIVE DAIRIES 137 



into six different Leagues, and these Leagues, 

 in turn, constitute the Confederation of Dutch 

 Co-operative Creameries, established by Royal 

 Decree of February 12th, 1901. The estimated 

 number of farmers supplying milk to the cream- 

 eries represented by this Confederation is 40,000, 

 and the butter production of the federated 

 creameries is equal to about 14,900 tons a year. 

 The chief purpose of the organization in ques- 

 tion is to guarantee the purity of the butter, 

 and maintain the reputation thereof in foreign 

 markets, inspections and analyses being made, 

 and recognized trade marks affixed to the con- 

 signments coming up to the required standard. 

 In the southern provinces most of the butter is 

 sold by auction in sale rooms established by the 

 Leagues, which enforce their rules and regula- 

 tions with a thoroughness that renders adultera- 

 tion, it is said, " very difficult, if not impossible/' 

 In Friesland there is a Co-operative Butter 

 Export Association which consigns direct to 

 England. Such is the growth of the butter 

 trade done by Holland with Great Britain that 

 it represented a value of £1,414.000 in 1900; 

 £1,511,000 in 1901 ; and £1,974,000 in 1902, 

 while the increased profit to the farmers, as the 

 direct result of their adoption of the co-opera- 

 tive system of butter production, combined with 



