Evening star., 1901-04-10
THE FRENCH sYNDICATEs.
A Conspicuous Feature Of the Third
Republic.

Republic.
zone Of the most conspicuous features
of the third republic Of France" says
United States Consul Covert at Lyons
France. in a report to the State Depart
ment, ''is the organization of societies of a
semi-social and business character, which
In their wide scope include all classes Of
society-employers and employees, the
wealthy and the poor, from the child Of
six years to the oldest citizen in the re-
public-which in their tendencies favor
the poor especially"
These societies tend to create new bands
of attachment among the farm hands. and
their object Is without doubt to bind them
more closely to the land they cultivate
These societies are called "syndicates,"
and have been organized all over France.
their aim being to further the economic
industrial, commercial and agricultural in
terests Of the members and to attach the
farmer more closely to his country. They
are organized under a law of the republic
and comprise organizations Of twenty
members Of one or several similar trades
who pay as dues 81 per month.
OF the various syndicates the farmers
number approximately 512. 1914. These farm
ers' syndicates are combined into ten large
groups, located In Boulogne Caen. Rennes.
Anglers, Dion, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Toul-
ouse and Lyons Over these Is a central
body. located In Paris to which all subor-
QlndCe organizations report, ana winch rep
resents their interests In the parliament
and before the railway companies and the
general public. The principal object Of
these organizations is to favor the discov-
cry Of new agricultural products; to obtain
at the lowest possible cost the best necessi-
ties OF the farm; to increase production,
to make labor easier, to diminish the cost
Of production and Of living in the country,
to buy books and provide for the delivery
Of lectures on the subject Of agriculture
to insure men and animals against accident
or death. and. in general, to cooperate for
the amelioration Of the condition Of agri-
culture. By this method the science of
agriculture is placed within hands reach
Of the poorest as well as the wealthiest
farmer. They have created an insurmo1nt-
able barrier to the triumph of socialism
They have also united the weaithiest
farmer and land owner with the poorer
ones.
The consul adds that he has attended
meetings of these societies, where he saw
representatives Of the most aristocratic
families Of the old nobility Of France. pro-
duce commission merchants, wealthy land
owners. public officials. mobiles, bankers,
laborers and managers of large estates, all
OF whom were planning in the interest of
neighbor.
The organizations all enjoy absolute lib
erty Of initiative and action. One has es-
tablished a fair for the exhibition of GER
tain products another has devoted all its
energies to the sale of green peas, another
butter by the postal parcel system. and
still another has transmitted bottles of
wine to customers in the same way.
In conclusion the consul states that an
official OF the Lyons syndicate, In CONVEX
sation with him upon this subject stated
that he believed the influence Of the syn
dicate would be to dignity farm labor, by
curing OF protective tariffs on farm pro-
ducts. to increase the wages. and generally
improve the condition of the farmers.