so 



THE RURAL PROBLEM 



takes the lead, but other societies are rapidly increasing 

 their trade, as the following figures will show : 



1910. 



1915 



Southern Counties Agricultural Trading Society 

 Carmarthen Farmers' Co-operative Society 

 Newport (Salop) and District Agricultural Trading 



Society ... 

 Midland Farmers' Co-operative Association 

 Clyndermen and District Farmers' Association 

 West Midland Farmers' Association 

 Framlingham and District Farmers' Co-opera 



tive Association... 

 Guildford and Mid-Surrey Farmers' Agricultural 



Co-operative Association 



£ 

 87,845 

 58,210 



46,551 

 30,734 

 22,949 

 24,317 



18,136 



13,259 



£ 

 121,169 

 88,660 



50,22lf 

 46,129 

 34,020 

 52,492 



29,038 



15,069 



" These are only a few of the societies which might be 

 named, as steady improvement is to be noted in almost 

 every direction, and the smaller as well as the larger societies 

 show a most satisfactory rate of progress. 



" The largest of the above-mentioned societies, the 

 Eastern Counties Farmers' Co-operative Association, Ltd., 

 for example, was founded in 1904, with a membership of 158 

 and a share capital of £1,540. By the end of 1911 the 

 membership had risen to 1,007 and the share capital to 

 £7,102. 



" The first year's sales were £15,400, at a profit of £86 ; 

 the sales in 1911 amounted to £258,378, at a profit of £2,457. 

 The scope of this society's activities includes agricultural 

 machinery, seeds, manures and fertilisers, pigs, and eggs." 



§ 4. Co-operative Dairies and Factories. 



The home of the co-operative dairj system is in Denmark. 

 It began with the establishment of creameries, to which 

 farmers could take their cream to be made into butter. 

 Then, with the invention of the cream separator, the farmer 

 sent his milk to the creamery and the skim milk was returned 

 to him. The first co-operative dairy was opened in West 



* The figures for 1912 are here substituted for those published in the 

 1912 report. 



t Figures for 1911. 



