Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-09-19
GERMAN FARM LEAGUE.
Two Million AgricuIturists Organized
for Mutual Benefit.

More than two million farmers in
Germany have organized for mutual
benefit and protection. Such an or
States, and were directed politically,
would hold the balance of power The
German farmers are in two great
leagues, known as the Imperial
Agricultural Union. Together the,
loaned in the last year more than
$500 100000 to their members. The
chief activities Of the two leagues are
in aiding their membership financial
lY, in improving crop cultures through
travelling experts, in selling farm
products and in purchasing supplies.
The Imperial Agricultural Unior
has siXty-seven circuit unions, made
up of 1888 local societies, with a
total membership of 1,575,000. 1t has
$373, 100000 in assets. The local So
cieties are divided as follows: 1854
savings and loan, 2,12S cooperative
purchasing, 1860 dairying and 1851
miscellaneous. The Imperial las
year sold $46,000.0 900 in dairy prod
ucts, and paid $3S,000,000 for milk
Some of the groups in the Imperial
exclusively buy and sell spirits dis
titled mostly from potatoes. Other
groups look after the cultivation and
sale OF starch and it's products, the
cultivation and conservation of fruits
and vegetables. and the handling OF
eggs and poultry.
There are in the Imperial, also. 1870
| grape and wine growers societies
one hundred societies of stock and
| I'D ne lAn
| and beet sugar groups. The en-
| trance fec into the Imperial is less
| than So. The average working CAPT
| tai of each member is $1,000.
| The second great farmers alliance
| is the General Agricultural Union
which has 5,712 local societies, with a
total membership of 405.S19. 1t has
| $117,000,o0a in assets. Nearly foul
| thousand four hundred of the locals
| in the general are savings and loan
groups. The average capital of q
local in the General is $4,000. the
average capital of an individual
| member $500.
The functions of these two great
| organizations are much broader than
collective bargaining. In each divi-
sion there are Scineitfic experts who
visit the farms of the members and
advise with them concerning crops.
| live stock, soil, woodland, examining
and suggesting remedies. etc. There
are laboratories for testing the soil
for members.
A third great national body of Ger
man farmers is known as the Co
operative Purchasing Society. IT
has twenty seven circuit unions. 1888
local societies and 1854 members.
1t buys fertilizers. feed-stuffs, seeds,
coal and agricultural machinery. The
annual average purchase by each
farmer was $104. The operative
has working capital of $10.70O,0O0.
outside Of these three national
farmers organizations there are local
dairying societies. scattered ali
through the empire 500 in all, with
an aggregate membership of 173.000.
and total assets of $19,000,000 There
is a fourth national agricultural body,
the Dcutsche Landwirtschaft, an i'm
portant society for the technical ad-
vanComcnt of agriculture. There is
" Germany only on political organi
Ia ton of farmers. 1t is called the
Bund der Landwirtn.
An eminent German economist says
the significance of agricultural unions
in Germany lies in their successful
advocacy of honest business dealing,
in their insstence on cash payments
and on economy in operating eX
penses, in their struggle against
usury and deception in the business
and moral training WHICH they give
to the middle and lower classes, and
in the happy combination of pro-
grcsSive principles and brotherly feel
ing which they stimulate.
There are in France two national
CO. operative societies of farmcrs-the
Central Union Farmers Syndicate
and the Central Syndicate of French
Farmers, the former with 100000
members, the latter with twenty
thousand. They buy mostly agri-
cultural machinery. There are five
thousand individual societies. The
French government last year loaned
the farmers 100000 francs and now
has 66000,000 francs invested in
a agricultural loans. The growth o!
wheat and cattle is increasing
Journal.