THE RURAL PROBLEM M 



Jutland in 1882; within 20 years there was scarcely a parish 

 in Denmark without one, and their members owned more 

 than three-fourths of the cows in the country. The practice 

 was for about 150 farmers in a particular district to raise, 

 say, £1,200 by subscribing £8 each, which sum provided a 

 dairy which could deal with the milk of 850 cows. The 

 amount thus invested is over a million and a half of money. 



This system has been copied by the farmers in the Charente 

 district and the west coast of France. 



In Holland the first co-operative dairy was set up in 

 1878, but it was only after the success of the movement in 

 Denmark that the chief development began. In 1890 there 

 were still only 19 co-operative unions in Holland, but by 

 1911 there were 729. and most of these were organised into 

 six different leagues, which constitutes the Confederation of 

 Dutch Co-operative Creameries. The purpose of this Con- 

 federation, which was established by Royal Decree, is to 

 guarantee purity of butter and to maintain the reputation 

 thereof in foreign markets, inspections and analyses being 

 made and recognised trade-marks being affixed to consign- 

 ments coming up to the required standard. This makes 

 adulteration very difficult, if not impossible. The increased 

 profits to Dutch farmers as a result of co-operative butter 

 production, combined with precautionary measures, are 

 estimated at from 10 per cent, in some cases to 30 per cent. 

 in others. The co-operative creameries now produce thirty 

 times as much butter as the proprietary factories. 



In Belgium at the end of 1910 there were 556 co-operative 

 dairies, with 57,400 members, owning 1G2.850 cows. In 

 that year they effected sales to the extent of 40 million 

 francs, an average of nearly £28 per member. 



In Hungary the State makes large annual grants for 

 cattle breeding and dairy farming, and has thus brought 

 into existence 541 co-operative dairies. Similarly in Austria 

 the whole movement has been the outcome mainly of official 

 activity, supported by numerous and liberal subsidies. 



In Sweden the co-operative dairies are rapidly supplanting 

 proprietary dairies and produce the greater portion of the 

 total output of butter in the country, and it is significant 

 that at the fortnightly butter shows at Gothenburg and 



