424 [November, 1910. 



AGRICULTURAL FINANCE AND CO-OPERATION. 



THE RELATION OF CO-OPERATION 

 TO SMALL HOLDINGS. 



(Prom the Journal of the Board of Agri- 

 culture, Vol, XVII., No, 5, August, 1910.) 



The small Holdings Commissioners, in 

 their Report for the year, 1909, observe 

 that one of the most important factors 

 on which the success of the small hold- 

 ings movement depends, is that of 

 co-operative organisation. The best re- 

 sult can only be obtained by means of 

 some organisation which will put the 

 small producer into such a position as to 

 enable him to obtain a fair return for 

 his produce and satisfy his requirements 

 as cheaply as possible. This can only be 

 done by the formation of Co-operative 

 Trading Societies on a sufficiently large 

 scale to enable them to command 

 the services of thoroughly competent 

 managers, and by affiliating the small 

 societies to these large organisations. 

 That this can be done is shown by the 

 success of the Eastern Counties Farmers' 

 Association, which, after less than six 

 years' existence, has an annual turnover 

 of approximately £250,000, and to which 

 small local societies can be affiliated at a 

 charge of only l£d a member. 



If each small holder attempt to deal as 

 an isolated unit, not only with the pro- 

 ductive, but also with the distributive 

 side of his business, it is certain that he 

 cannot hope to obtain the best market 

 prices for his produce. A striking in- 

 stance of this occurred a few months ago 

 when eggs were being sold at prices 

 ranging from 7s. 6d. to 10s. per 120 in 

 many parts of Wales, while at the same 

 time the wholesale prices in London, 

 Manchester, and other large centres were 

 from 15s. to 16s, per 120. On the other 

 hand, an instance of what can be done by 

 business organisation to meet the com- 

 petition from abroad is afforded by the 

 experience of the Derby Co-operative 

 Provident Society in connection with 

 cheese. In 1901 the Society purchased 

 for sale to its members a weekly average 

 of 31 cwt. of Canadian cheese and only 5 

 cwt. of English cheese. The latter was 

 bought from a firm of dealers who 

 obtained their supplies from farmers in 

 Derbyshire and Staffordshire at ruin- 



ously low prices, and who sold to 

 retailers at prices which enabled the 

 Canadians to cut out the English far- 

 mers in their own district. Last year 

 the Society developed a trade with the 

 English producer direct, with the result 

 that they are now taking an average of 

 40 cwt. a week of Derbyshire cheese as 

 ft gainst 26 cwt. of Canadian cheese. 

 There seems no doubt that if all the 

 large industrial distributive Co-operative 

 Societies would undertake to organise 

 the trade of the agricultural societies 

 and to purchase their produce at fair 

 market prices, they would be able to 

 obtain the bulk of their snpplies from 

 home sources, and the producers could 

 rely on far better prices than they now 

 obtain from local dealers or hucksters. 



The Commissioners suggest that 

 County Councils ought to do everything 

 in their power to assist in organising 

 co-operative methods among the small 

 holders they have established. It is not 

 enough merely to provide the land and 

 place men upon it to fare as best they can 

 unaided, and they express a hope that 

 Councils will seriously consider whether 

 they should not make sure of their 

 powers under Section 49 of the Act 

 and assist those societies which are 

 endeavouring to organise co-operative 

 methods among small holders. The 

 Board have undertaken to give an 

 annual grant to the Agricultural Or- 

 ganisation Society, which has enabled 

 them to appoint three additional organ- 

 isers, but this further assistance only 

 enables the Society to touch the fringe 

 of the question, and there is ample field 

 for additional help. The County Land 

 Agents might be instructed to use every 

 opportunity of urging upon the tenants 

 of the Councils the importance of adopt- 

 ing co-operative principles, and the 

 Technical Instruction Committee might 

 pay special attention to the needs of 

 small holders in arranging their course 

 of instruction in agricultural education. 

 Advice might be given as to the crops 

 which can be grown to the best advant- 

 age in view of the particular require- 

 ments of the markets. It is too often 

 the case that small holders with excellent 

 markets almost at their doors obtain 

 unduly low prices for their produce 

 because they do not study their markets, 

 and are content to grow what they think 

 best without any inquiry as to whether 

 it is the particular class of produce which 

 is in demand in the locality. 



