n6 AGRICULTURAL ORGANISATION 



ways, by all the leading officials of the Board of Agriculture, 

 and more especially by the Permanent Secretary, Sir Thomas 

 Elliott, whose ever-ready assistance has been of great service 

 in furthering the Society's propagandist work, and helping 

 to place the Society itself on a firmer footing. Most useful, 

 also, were the leaflets issued by the Board of Agriculture 

 from time to time dealing with the A. O. S. or with particular 

 phases of its activities, together with the further references 

 thereto in the Board's official journal. 



The Home Office. 



In 1903, also, the Home Office granted the prayer of a 

 memorial from the A. O. S., asking for the removal of certain 

 disadvantages under which creameries in Great Britain 

 laboured as compared with creameries in Ireland, by reason 

 of the special exemptions granted to the latter as regarded 

 the employment of women on Sundays. 



The Treasury. 



Equal success attended the presentation, again in 1903, 

 of a joint memorial to the Lords of the Treasury from the 

 Co-operative Banks Association, the Agricultural Organisa- 

 tion Society and the Irish Agricultural Organisation 

 Society for the removal of certain restrictions regarding the 

 registration of Agricultural Credit Societies designed in the 

 interests of small cultivators and the rural labouring class. 



It was asked that in view of the essentially " friendly " 

 character of these village societies, coupled with the fact that 

 no profit or dividend is divided amongst their members, 

 there should be an amendment of such regulations as pre- 

 vented the societies from being registered as, and sharing in 

 the privileges of, ordinary friendly societies. The amend- 

 ments desired were — (a) Abolition of the £1 fee for regis- 

 tration and of the 10s. fee for amendment of rules, these fees, 

 it was pointed out, being " prohibitive to the very poor 

 people it was sought to encourage in the direction of 

 economic self-help " ; (b) exemption from stamp duty, as per 



