CO-OPERATION IN GERMANY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 16

CO-OPERATION IN GERMANY.

By William E. Bear, in the Transactions of the Highland and Agricultural Society. The co-operative system of Germany is much more comprehensive than that of Denmark, pr, indeed, any other country. As classified in the Bulletin of the International Institute of Agriculture, the agri-' cultural co-operative societies of Germany are enumerated' as follows for June 1, 1910: Loan and Savings Banks 15,526 Purchase of Requirements ... ... 2293 Dairy ... 3325 Others ... ... 2701 Tote 1 ... ... ... ... 23,845 m The "others" include some of the most interesting forms of. association, each of which will be noticed. First, however, the dates of foundation will be sriven in refer, ence to the three forms of co-operation, separately named above, as these will show that Germany led the way in the movement under' notice many years before Denmark joined in it.

Germany is the home of the agricultural loan hanks, the first of which was founded by Raiffeisen in the winter of 1847-8. In 1908 the business done Iby 13,675 banks, not including 1483 not federated, amounted to £210,000,000. Their working capites was £94,459,000; the loans to members during the year lJbaclied £50,792,540; and the deposits amounted 1 to £69,931,680. The number of members was 1,293,993. Associations for the purchase of requires ments were started before 1860, and there were 350 of them as early as 1884, and 725 in 1889. Like the banks, they have been, constantly increasing in number. In 1908 the number of federated societies of this class was 1970; the members numbered 220,728; and the value of the produce (bought . was £5.051.928. There were' 219 societies not federated in the year named. Co-operative dairies were first founded about 1870, and 172 were in operation :n 1884. In 1908 the number of federated societies of this class was 2138, with 213,297 mem'bers. The value of their produce sold in thai year was £11,47-2,167.; Only about two-thirds of the dairy societies appear to have been federated in 1908, as the total: number in that year was 3279, or 1141 more than the number covered by the account '*

Among the most important of the associations not separatelv enumerated in the abstract -table are the Land Credit Societies (Landshaften), which are simply co-opera-tive mortgage combinations, organised for a province or some smaller administrative unit. The first of these institutions was founded in Silesia in 1770 for large estates only, the owners of which had been reduced to a condition approaching ruin by wars, changes in the currency, and' a great fall in prices. The scheme proved so successful -that other provinces followed the example of Silesia. In course of time the scheme was extended to small pronerties, down to those of the peasant proprietors. In 1906 the mortgage bonds of these institutions in circulation amounted to over £157.000,000. The interest paid by the institutions has usually ranged from 3 to 4 per cent., but has occasionally, and to a comparativelv small extent, been 4? to 5 per cent. The individual mortgagors are charged a little more than the institutions pay. in order to orovide for the expenses of the latter, usually'i to 1 per cent. more. At first mortgages were granted to no more than half the value of an estate; but since German agriculture (became prosperous the proportion has extended generally. to twothirdls. For the like reason there has been recently a disposition to reduce the security to the whole of the lauds mortgaged, instead of covering all the lands of a province. The Landshaften do not grant mortgages on land already mortgaged. Other co-operative associations are horticultural, viticultural, distillinor, corn storage, eff" - selling.. live stock breedingr. live stock selling, machine and implement purchase and letting, small holdings distribu-

ting, water supplying, and electric light and" power providing bodies. FORMS OF CO-OPERATION NOT COMMON IN GERMAY. A few branches of co-operation not common in Germany, but prominent in some other countries, remain to be noticed. The "control" societies for ascertaining the relative merits of cows by careful and systematic registration of the milk-yields and percentages of fat and other solids, together with the relation between yield and the fodder consumed, are most common in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, and are coming into somewhat extensive operation in the United States. Bacon factories are most prominent in Denmark, Canada, and the United States. The co-operative manufacture of artificial manures appears to be moro extensive in Italy than elsewhere. In the same country, what are called collective farms" are in extensive use. especially in Sicily—large farms being rented or bought either for management by the members of the co-operative societies, or distributed in small lots among the members for individual cultivation. Similar undfrtalings have been started on a considerable scale in Roumania. Telephone societies are mentioned in connection with the United States. That country, France, and Switzerland appear to be the countries in which the co-operative sale of fruit and vegetables is being carried on most exteisively and successfully.