THE LABOUR PROBLEM 217 



operative agricultural societies now to be found 

 in each of the ten governments in Poland has, 

 therefore, been that of facilitating the more 

 general use of machinery, for its own sake, for 

 the purpose of helping the large proprietors to 

 solve the labour problem, or for promoting the 

 interests of the small holders, many of whom 

 found it difficult enough to carry on their opera- 

 tions at a profit, and regarded as the greatest of 

 boons the possibility of acquiring, or obtaining 

 the use of, machines and implements on the 

 most advantageous terms. 



In some cases (as the British Consul-General 

 at Warsaw relates in a report to the Foreign 

 Office) the society enables a member to secure 

 machinery at cash price on credit ; in others it 

 will itself purchase the machinery and let it out 

 at a low rate to farmers. From 2d. to 5d. will 

 be charged per day for a plough ; from 5d. to 2.y. 

 for winnowers ; and from 2s. to 2s. (Sd. for drills. 

 The Warsaw society is said to have already 

 obtained machinery to the extent of £ 29,000 in a 

 year. The societies also deal in artificial manures 

 and seeds, buying at wholesale prices, and selling 

 retail, on credit, at an advance of only 5 per 

 cent, on those prices. Mr. Murray says in his 

 report for 11)00 that " naturally this action on 

 the part of the societies has led to great op- 



