384 MISCELLANEOUS 



to watch over. It might be expected that by this means the 

 Central Chamber might get more closely into touch with those 

 smaller occupiers of land who are now, perhaps, not represented 

 in the organisation of the Central and Associated Chambers of 

 Agriculture to that extent which their numbers would render 

 desirable. 



On 2nd May, 1899, this recommendation was submitted to 

 the Council, but leave to set up the semi -independent body 

 suggested was refused, and the regular and formal " associa- 

 tion " with the Central Chamber was insisted upon. The 

 result of this decision was that a new association was imme- 

 diately started at Newark, called the British Agricultural 

 Organisation Society, which for two years associated itself 

 with the Central Chamber, and in February, 1900, the 

 Co -operation Committee of the Chamber recommended the 

 Council to support this new Society. The Committee only 

 held one more meeting, in June, 1902, since when all matters 

 relating to this subject have been referred to the other Society. 



The foregoing notes show that although the Chamber did 

 but little propagandist work in favour of co-operation, it was 

 the first to direct attention to the subject, and its two reports 

 on purchase and sale had a very wide circulation. 



Other circumstances had also been leading up to a decided 

 movement in the direction of co-operation. The National 

 Agricultural Union had among its active members a number 

 of co-operators, and they were so importunate that at last 

 the President of that organisation (the late Lord Winchilsea), 

 rather against his own judgment, started the British Produce 

 Association in Long Acre, in 1896. From various causes, 

 which need not be gone into here, this great enterprise failed, 

 but it nevertheless spurred on the advocates of co-operation 

 to greater energy. The death of Lord Winchilsea in 1898 

 removed the master mind, and, after a brief period during 

 which time Viscount Templetown was President, the co- 

 operators captured the N.A.U., dropped all its useful political 

 work, and became the propagandist body for agricultural 

 co-operation. The British Agricultural Organisation Society 

 became merged in the larger body, the title " National Agri- 

 cultural Union " was shed, and in 1901 it became the Agri- 



