THE RURAL PROBLEM 77 



of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, the subscribers to 

 and members of the Agricultural Organisation Society, the 

 County Councils' Association, and the Co-operative Union. :: 

 The work of the society will eventually be conducted under 

 the direction of brunch committees, whose operations will 

 be confined to certain areas, thereby promoting local effort 

 and enlisting local sympathy and support. 



Opposition to this new movement may be expected from 

 two quarters. In its early stages in Ireland there was 

 considerable opposition from the country traders, whose 

 resentment became all the more bitter when they saw the 

 Government purse coming to the aid of their rivals. Now, 

 however, the commercial and industrial leaders in Ireland 

 have realised that, as the Dublin Chamber of Commerce 

 resolved, " improvements in the business methods of those 

 who conduct the chief wealth-producing industry of the 

 country must increase their consuming power," and " that 

 this will develop the home market and so benefit the trade 

 of Irish manufacturers and wholesale merchants." 



A more forcible objection will be raised by those who look 

 askance at the idea of making Government grants to a private 

 organisation. Without pretending that this is an ideal 

 policy, it cannot be denied that the A.O.S. made out a 

 very strong case for it, in view of the only apparent alter- 

 native. The business of organising agricultural co-operation 

 is highly technical and requires just the experience which 

 the officers of the society have acquired. The adminis- 

 tration of the work by a voluntary body is a great saving 

 of public money. The county councils have already as 

 many duties as they are ready to perform ; and, moreover, 

 the task of organisation can only be conveniently performed 

 by a central body. 



The present time is singularly inopportune for making 

 proposals as to what steps should be taken to improve 

 existing arrangements for the spread of agricultural 

 co-operation. The public, as consumers, should be much 

 more directly interested in the production of foodstuffs 

 than the present arrangements allow, with a view, among 



* See Appendix K. 



