Belgian Co-operative Societies. 



23 



Landen, established in 1884, with a capital of £12,000. It has 

 numerous branches, and sells manures and other articles not 

 only to its members, but also to non-members, who pay a 

 higher price. Few associations have been organised for the 

 sale and distribution of agricultural produce. 



In 1897 the number of members enrolled in the 585 societies 

 and syndicates then existing was 47,206, and the purchases 

 of farming materials made through these organisations 

 amounted in value in the year to £337,500. 



Co-operative dairy societies had until recently not made 

 much progress in Belgium, but during the past few years 

 there has been a remarkable increase in their numbers, 87 

 institutions of this character having been established in the 

 year 1897 alone. At the beginning of 1898 there were 167 

 dairies in operation, supported by 17,022 co-operating mem- 

 bers. An interesting feature of this development is the fact 

 that it has taken place for the most part among the peasant 

 farmers, the average number of cows owned by the co- 

 operators being barely three per member. Butter is the 

 principal product of these societies, and their output of this 

 commodity in 1897 was valued at £355,000, while the value 

 of their sales of cheese, milk, and separated milk was 

 estimated at £10,500. 



The published accounts of one of these co-operative 

 dairies situated at Oostcamp, Flanders, show that the 

 average price realised for the butter produced and sold in 

 the year 1897 was is. ojd. per lb. The average price received 

 by the shareholders for the milk supplied by them to the 

 dairy was 3jd. per gallon, but the profits on the working of the 

 year amounted to an additional halfpenny per gallon, while 

 the value of the separated milk returned to the members was 

 calculated to be ifd. per gallon. In this society, which is 

 typical of many others, the profits are divided as follows : 

 one-half to the shareholders who hold one share for each 

 cow they keep ; one - fourth to the reduction of 

 loan capital ; 1 5 per cent, to the reserve fund ; 

 and the remainder is distributed in the form of a bonus 

 to the employes of the society. Another interesting example 

 of a Belgian co-operative dairying association is furnished by 



