RESULTS ATTAINED 31 



which takes from 900 to 1,400 gallons of new milk per 

 day from the Eastern Counties Society. Should any 

 farmer fail to supply the quantity he has agreed to 

 forward, the manager is authorized to buy elsewhere, 

 and charge any difference in price to the account of the 

 defaulting member. An increasing trade is also being 

 done in eggs, poultry, butter, etc., the sales in this 

 branch being 840 in 1904, against 300 in 1903. 



The society's total sales during 1904 amounted to 

 27,081, as against 19,952 in 1903, and 15,237 in 

 1902. This business was done on a paid-up capital of 

 only 750. Not only had the members obtained sub- 

 stantially better prices for the milk sold to the society, 

 as compared with what they would have got from the 

 wholesale dealers, if left to their own resources, but the 

 operations of their society for the year 1904 showed 

 a net profit of 524, making, with a balance of 90 

 brought forward from the previous year, an available 

 balance of 614. Out of this it was proposed to pay a 

 dividend of 5 per cent, on the paid-up share capital ; 

 I per cent, on members' sales under contract to the 

 society ; per cent, on non-members' sales under con- 

 tract to the society ; and J per cent, on purchases from 

 the society ; 100 being put to general reserve, and 

 319 carried forward to the following year. 



An exceptionally difficult branch of combined effort 

 that of co-operative sale thus seems to have been 

 very successfully managed, though the combination is 

 still incomplete in the Eastern counties, as compared 

 with the policy followed by similar bodies in Holland, 

 since the members are not bound (as in Holland) to 

 send the whole of their available supplies to the co- 

 operative society, but keep their private customers, 

 with whom they make independent bargains as well. 

 As regards co-operative purchase, the total quantity of 



