78 THE RURAL PROBLEM 



other things, to the standardisation of prioes. Perhaps the 

 most workable plan, and one which would protect against 

 the shortcomings of officialism, while giving the public the 

 control which it is desirable it should possess, would be some 

 sort of co-partnership between the county councils and the 

 farmers. But until the new society has had time to 

 get to work little good can be done by any further recom- 

 mendation. It is sufficient to say that whatever future 

 trouble the adoption of this policy may have in store there 

 is little doubt that it marks a great step forward in the 

 present state of rural development. 



The possibilities of co-operation can be gathered from a 

 glance at the objects of various societies, of which particulars 

 are given in the A.O.S. reports. Those which are most 

 specially concerned with production fall conveniently into 

 three heads : 



(1) Combined purchase of manures, food stuffs, and 

 implements. 



(2) Co-operative dairies, bacon factories, etc. 



(3) Credit banks. 



§ 3. Co-operative Purchase. 



There is scarcely a country in Europe where societies for 

 the purpose of combined purchase do not play an important 

 part in agriculture. Mr. Pratt gives a full account of these 

 in The Organisation of Agriculture, published in 1908. 



In Denmark the ramifications of the co-operative purchase 

 system extend to practically every village, and agricultural 

 necessities, such as seeds, manures, feeding stuffs, and 

 machinery are obtainable everywhere at the lowest price 

 and in the best condition. In Germany the Raiffeisen 

 banks * take up the business of purchasing as well, thereby 

 hindering the formation of other purchase societies ; but in 

 spite of this there were, at the end of 1912, 2,409 societies 

 for purchase and sale, with 240,000 members. 



In France a combination was first formed for the purchase 



of artificial manures in 1883. Others followed for seeds, 



eeding stuffs, and machinery, till in 1886 was established 



the Syndicat Central des Agriculteurs de France, which by 



* See below, p. 85. 



