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168 - QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Mar., 1900. 
There is, however, one thing which might be done by these societies, which, 
if well thought out and well carried out, would prove a blessing to many. 1 
allude to the formation of a fund out of which farmers who require a SIM 
loan to tide them over a temporary difliculty could be assisted, and that with 
no loss of self-respect, for they could demand the loan as a right under certilt | 
conditions. ‘There should be nothing of the land bank about this scheme. ~~ 
little farther back, we spoke of most men spending a shilling or two in t@ 
when bringing in their produce. Suppose that these shillings (which most Sil 
well afford or they would not spend them) were subscribed weekly to 4 in 
operated upon by the president and committee of a farmers’ association. 
a district where 100 farmers are resident, if each were to subset 
say, ls. or 2s. weekly (the eggs would provide so much money and @ a | 
deal more, or they should do so, on a well-managed farm), these weé i 
deposits, to use a convenient term, would at Is. per week produce £260, i 
at 2s, £520 in one year. For the first year after the formation of t 
fund, no borrowing should take place. The money would be placed out?” 
interest for short periods, by which means the fund would be consideral J 
increased. Now, when a farmer wanted a small sum, say from £5 to £25, 4 4 
could borrow it for a short term at low interest, and repay the principal be 
interest by easy instalments. The fund would thus take the form of a savin | 
bank, in which the farmer receives interest on his money, and on which he 
draw for an emergency on the most favourable terms, fair security being By) 
for the repayment. Such a scheme appears to us feasible, but would uatut™ 5 
require careful elaboration, and fal only be successful by the hearty i 
operation of the farmers themselves. That the advantages of comp af 
co-operation are not seen and seized upon by all our farmers is one 0 h 
things that ‘no feller can understand.” See how easily it works out. . 
goes into a shop to buy 1 Ib. of tea. The price is 2s. Suppose he ate 
chest. Then the price is 1s. 8d. And so with all goods—the greate? this. 
quantity purchased the less has to be paid. What more need be said on 
subject? The wise man can understand it, but how many of us are wise ? 
Notes on Co-operation for Farmers. 
By F. W. PEEK, Loganholme. Fi 4 
al . 
Gnrear efforts have been made from time to time to induce the farme! 
producers of this colony to combine or co-operate to achieve the better rie 
accruing from united action; and, although the principles of co-operatio! ™), 
spread very rapidly in our sister colonies in the south, very little has (up 
present time) been effectively done in that direction in Queensland. fot 
principles of co-operation can be grouped under two heads—co-operatio”, he 
production or manufacture, and co-operation for distribution or purchase. Jet 
latter is, perhaps, the simplest and safest in practice, inasmuch as it 18 — 
dependent on that sort of supervision which is best insured by personal inte? 
Any association of farmers would naturally secure a large number of custo” : 
among its shareholders, although there would be nothing contrary oth sh 
justice or sound political economy in selling to other than their own neat 
providing their operations were confined strictly to the limits of legitimate © 
Co-operation for the production and sale of any article in large wholesale dem 
such as flour, sugar, arrowroot, rice, coffee, &c., is more exposed to risk te 
mere retail trade, because the shareholders can only be customers to a li #4 
extent, and such a co-operative body has to look to other centres for marké 
consume apd distribute its products. The difficulty (and it is a great one a 
obtaining skilled and trustworthy managers is greater. On the other ™ 
