May 1907J 309 MiaccLianeous. 



is known as a co-operative association, or until the constitution and 

 articles of such association have been submitted to the Board and 

 approved by them. 



58. The regulations under this Act may prescribe the conditions neces- 

 sary to be complied with before any association can receive the 

 approval of the Board, whether in respect of its formation, member- 

 ship, or liabilities, the distribution of profits, or any other matters 

 whatsovever relative to its constitution. 



59. The assistance to be given by Government shall be by way of a con- 

 tribution towards the capital outlay, and such contributions shall 

 be made upon such terms as to payment, repayment and otherwise 

 as to the Board shall seem proper. 



Such a locality as that of Weenen, where— for Natal— a comparatively large 

 number of farmers are to be found within a comparatively small area, lends itself 

 favourably to the formation of a co-operative association ; and, should the residents 

 of that or any other district bestir themselves, the Land Board will be only too 

 willing to consider the question of financial assistance. 



And now to answer the question with which this article set out, " What is 

 the best form of agricultural co-operation for Natal ? " Evidently, the answer in 

 brief is, " That which arises spontaneously within any particular district to meet 

 the particular needs of those co-operating." 



As to " how to co-operate," the first thing to learn is what not to do. Do not 

 rely on, or wait for, the Government to start a co-operative association for you, 

 but start one yourselves, no matter on how modest a scale it may be — in fact, the 

 more unpretentious its aims, the more likely it will be to succeed and to give you 

 confidence subsequently to embark on something more ambitious. Do not wait 

 until you have got all — or nearly all — those in your district to combine ; but make a 

 start as soon as you have got your two or three gathered together, confident that 

 those who are holding back will join you, as soon as they see something is really 

 being done, in order not to be left out in the cold. Do not at first undertake anything 

 which cannot easily be managed by yourselves, and over which you cannot excercise 

 constant supervision— when you have felt your feet and learnt to walk with 

 confidence in the path of co-operation, you will soon be able to venture upon further 

 and more hazardous expeditions. 



And, as to " what to undertake," I would recommend first of all, 



(a) Co-operation to secure that consignments cf produce or live stock 

 sent away from any district reach the railway station at the same 

 time, so as to make up combined truck loads, and hence reap the 

 advantage of truck load rates. 



(b) Co-operation to ensure that goods or live stock purchased elsewhere 

 by the farmers of a given district be delivered at the same time, 

 so as to secure track load rates. 



(c) Co-operation to purchase, jointly, manures, seeds, or agricultural 

 implements, so as to deal direct with the manufacturers and get 

 the benefit of wholesale prices. (This is a form of co-operation 

 which has already been in existence in Natal.) 



(d) Co-operation for the local collection and sale of mealies to Govern- 

 ment in connection with Government contracts. (At present it 

 frequently happens that no local tenders are received by the Govern- 

 ment for the supply of mealies in mealie growing districts, and that 

 Government, consequently, has to accept the tender of a middleman 



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