CHAPTER V. 



EVOLUTION OF THE AGRICULTURAL 

 ORGANISATION SOCIETY. 



A.— EARLIER EFFORTS. 



So far as can be ascertained, the initial effort in the 

 direction of bringing about a general resort in Great Britain 

 to agricultural organisation, on co-operative as distinct from 

 commercial lines, was made by the Council of the Central 

 and Associated Chambers of Agriculture, which, on Decem- 

 ber 9th, 1891, appointed a Committee " to consider and report 

 by what means the organisation of the Chambers could be 

 utilised so as to promote the co-operative principle for the 

 benefit of all its members in the purchase of farming 

 requisites." This Committee, of which Mr. W. Lipscomb 

 was the chairman and Mr. R. H. Rew was secretary, 

 presented, on January 31st, 1893, a report which was adopted 

 by the Council and circulated among the associated Chambers. 

 The " conclusions " given in the report are of some interest 

 as showing the point of view from which the subject of 

 agricultural co-operation was regarded at that date. They 

 were as follows : — 



Your Committee, having regard to the opinions expressed by 

 Mr. Greening and Mr. Martyn, and to other facts which have been 

 laid before them, do not consider that any scheme taking the 

 whole country for its area, and directed from one centre, could be 

 usefully adopted, but that the several districts of the associated 

 Chambers and Clubs throughout the kingdom would in most 

 cases provide suitable areas for co-operation. 



Your Committee desire to call attention to the fact that there 

 are already existing in some localities agricultural co-operative 

 associations which might be utilised, and where such do not exist 

 your Committee have been given to understand that the Agricul- 

 tural and Horticultural Association would be prepared to accept 

 the single subscription of the secretary of an associated Chamber 



