THE STATE AS FARMER 113 



the economies in production and in distribution which 

 it postulates, this remuneration would be obtained 

 compatibly with lowered prices to the consumer. 

 The Society, therefore, through the Press, and by 

 every means which presented itself, has endeavoured 

 to bring home this point of view to the public in the 

 hope that a wider extension of co-operation may be 

 the means of permanently lifting production to a 

 higher level, and developing our home resources in 

 the interests of both our city populations and of the 

 inhabitants of the countryside. 



There is an immense amount of truth in 

 this pathetic argument, and much might be 

 done in the purely commercial direction if the 

 farmers would only fall into line. They will 

 not do so, and we have to remember that all 

 this organisation of local volunteers involves 

 the financing by them of the transport, 

 depots, machinery, and the like. It involves 

 also the crudest form of competition with 

 Free Trade and everlasting bickerings among 

 politicians. But the Report proceeds : 



The problem which is always before the Governors 

 is how to make the expert knowledge, which is 

 focussed at headquarters, most readily and profitably 

 available for agriculturists all over the kingdom, 

 and it is obvious that at a time when agricultural 



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