EXAMPLES FROM OTHER LANDS 27 



Of federations of agricultural syndicates there were 55 

 in 1910, grouping 2,392 of the local organisations. 



Co-operative societies for production and sale, and 

 composed exclusively of farmers, number about 2,660, 

 classified as follows : Cheese-making, 1,800 ; dairies 

 (butter-making), 685 ; wine-making, 39 ; starch-making, 

 34 ; collective purchase and employment of agricultural 

 machinery and implements, 23 ; oil-mills, 20 ; distilling, 

 17 ; milling and baking, 16 ; sugar manufacture, 8 ; fruit 

 and vegetable preserving, 5 ; collective transport, 1 ; 

 sauerkraut preparation, 1 ; sale of eggs and farmyard 

 produce, 1 ; distilling flowers for perfumery, 1 ; flax 

 preparation, 1 ; other co-operative societies, 8. Adding 

 to these figures societies not composed exclusively of 

 farmers, the total number engaged in production or sale is 

 estimated at 3,260. 



Agricultural credit has undergone great expansion in 

 France of late years, mainly through the influence of 

 State aid. 



The law of 1884 prepared the way for co-operative 

 credit banks, and the pioneer bank of this type in France 

 was constituted in 1885. 



Increased facilities for the creation of rural banks on the 

 Raiffeisen principle, though differing therefrom in some 

 essential details, were conferred by the Meline law of 

 November 5th, 1894. These further banks were to be 

 based on the agricultural syndicates, and were to derive 

 their members from them, but down to 1899 (when the 

 number created was still only 136) they existed on their 

 own resources without any credit from the State. Such 

 resources were, however, found insufficient to allow of an 

 expansion of the system adequate to the growing needs of 

 rural life, and further action was considered necessary, in 

 the special direction of State aid. 



An opportunity for rendering this aid came in 1897, 

 when the renewal by the State of the privileges conceded 

 to the Bank of France was arranged on conditions which 

 led to the State (1) receiving from the bank a sum amount- 



