29 



have been organized: These arc chiefly found among tin 1 

 poorer middle classes and particularly among the farmers. 1 

 There were in Prussia in 1898 8,310 2 such societies. Of 

 them 5,2J)2 were credit associations for loaning money to the 

 farmers at lower rates than the banks; 1,570 were "pro- 

 ductive'' societies for co-operation in the production of some 

 commodity, such as creameries, wine presses, breweries, dis- 

 tilleries, bakeries, etc., and finally 591 so-called "Konsun- 

 Yereine," or co-operative stores, meat markets, etc. In ad- 

 dition there are numerous "Yerkaufsgenossenschaften," or 

 co-operative societies among farmers to secure better prices 

 for their produce, storehouses, elevators, etc., being frequently 

 built. 



The low price for raw spirits, and the difficulty of maintain- 

 ing an existence when hampered by inefficient distilling ap- 

 paratus, has led, within recent years, to the formation of num- 

 erous co-operative societies among the smaller farmers for car- 

 rying on distilling and for disposing of the product. The 

 land-owner had to use his fallow crop, the potato, and needed 

 the u schlempe" for fodder, but in many cases .with primitive 

 stills distilling could not be carried on except at an absolute 

 loss. Consequently societies have been formed, money has 

 been borrowed from the government at a low rate, and this, 

 together with what the members have contributed, has enabled 

 them to establish neighborhood stills with modern apparatus 

 and economic production. There are no imperial statistics of 

 the co-operative societies and the data is very scanty. In 

 1895-9G there were reported to be 39 such distilleries. By 

 1897-98 the number had risen to 114 and in 1898-99 it was 

 128. The majority are in Prussia, which contained 54 on 

 June 30, 1898. 3 

 e. Labor. 



According to the statistics of manufacture there were on 



1. For cooperation in Germany see " Das landwirtschaftliche Gennoss En- 

 schaftwesen in Deutschland," Ertel u. Licht. Vienna, 1899. 



2. From a catalogue of Prussian co-operative societies existing June 30, 1898, 

 issued by the Central Co-operative Bank, in Berlin. 



3. Vierteljahrshefte zur Statistik, etc., 1897, ii., p. 117; '98, ii., p. 57; '99, ii., 

 p. 144; 1900, ii.,p. 114. 



