1910.] Co-operative Societies in the U.K. 



141 



societies, are distributed among the members pro rata upon 

 the value of the goods purchased from and sold to the society, 

 but in practice are frequently added to the reserve fund. 



In addition to these two groups of societies formed specially 

 for agricultural purposes, there were, in 1908, 69 industrial 

 societies (two wholesale and 67 retail distributive societies) 

 which carried on farming and dairying departments mainly 

 as a means of producing milk, butter, vegetables, &c, for the 

 use of their members, the goods so produced being trans- 

 ferred to the distributive departments of the societies, and 

 the profits, if any, being merged into the profits of the 

 other departments and distributed in the general dividend to 

 purchasers. 



The returns relating to these three groups of societies, 

 obtained by the Labour Department for the year 1908, showed 

 that there were then at work in the United Kingdom 600 

 co-operative societies formed specially for agricultural pro- 

 duction and distribution, with an aggregate membership of 

 79,468, a total share capital of ,£201,367 ; loan capital amount- 

 ing to ,£199,817; reserve and insurance funds amounting to 

 ,£145,119, and sales during the year amounting to 

 ^3,222,043, upon which, including interest on shares, a total 

 profit of .£33,958 was shown. 





Distribution. 



Production. 



Total. 





Agricultural 

 Trading, Egg 

 and Poultry, and 

 Bee Keepers' 

 Societies of all 

 kinds. 



Special 

 Farming and 

 Dairying 

 Societies. 



Farming 

 and Dairying 

 Departments 

 of Wholesale 



and Retail 

 Distributive 



Societies.* 



Agricultural 

 Distribution and 

 Production by 

 Societies of 

 all classes. 



1898 

 1899 



1900 ... ... 



1901 



1902 ... 



1903 



!904 



1905 



1906 



1907 



1908 



£ 



296,125 . 

 333,825 



380,535 

 385,619 

 440,786 



498,315 

 532,913 

 589,641 

 841,900 

 1,136,502 

 1,292,503 



■ £ 

 486,317 

 645,158 

 811,302 

 892,249 



1,039,43! 



1,137,565 



1,132,087 



1,387,487 

 1,683,238 

 1,813,602 

 1,929,540 



£ 



228,514 

 307,548 

 397,366 

 427,676 

 478,534 

 427,594 

 401,383 

 402,639 

 473,258 



477,379 

 494,889 



£ 



1,010,956 

 1,286,531 

 1,589,203 

 1,707,544 

 1.958,751 

 2,063,474 

 2,066,383 



2,379,767 

 2,998,396 



3,427/483 

 3,716,932 



Increase of 1908 

 over 1898 



996,378 



1,443,223 



266,375 



2,705.976 



Percentage 



Increase 



336'5 



296-8 



1166 



2677 



* Including the productive department of one agricultural distributive society. 



