Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1911-02-10
FARM BUSINESS.
Methods of Farmers Co-opera-
tive League In Germany.

American Asriculturists, Particularly
Changers, May Get a Hint From
Their German Brothers In the Mat
ter of Co. operating That May Be of
Advantage to Them.
During the latter half Of the nine
teenth century associations formed
among the agricultural classes of Ger
many did much to promote scientific
farming, and in more recent years
they have extended their influence
with the advancement of technology.
These local societies, says a recent con.
sular report of Consul General Thack-
ara at Berlin, have united into branch
societies, circuit and district societies,
which form the basis or nucleus of the
two general German agricultural or
CARNATIONS of the present time.
On May 10, 1909, the Imperial Agri-
cultural organization, according to its
annual report, the last available, en-
braced siXty-seven circuit unions,
made up of 1888 local societies. The
total membership of these societies
was then 1,515,OOO. There were 1854
saving and loan societies, 2,12S coop
erative purchasing societies, 1850 dairy
societies and approximately 1851 So
cieties devoted to various other objects.
A summary of the operations for the
fiscal year 1907. representing 11,6G9
savings and loan societies of the impe-
rial organization, with n total individ-
ual membership of 1,O59,34S, showed
the following:
Total assets OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1913, 204 2O9
Total liabilities .......-........... 81, 954 19S
Loans to members on current
account ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. IS, 263070
Loans to members for definite
period Observation-Disclosures. 213,197,O52
Deposits of members who re-
ceived loans ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 3S,2o4,59s
Credit balance due to members
end of 1907 Observation-Disclosures. 1851, $50
Total receipts and eXpenses..... S52,17S530
Cost of administration .......... I'LL O39
Total deposits of savings ........ 9S,551,S9l
The General Organization.
The annual report of the General
Agricultural organization. made Octo-
Der. 1903, shows it to have member
ship of 5,172 local societies. The lat
est available statistics of this group
are for the year 1907. At that date
there We're f. 100 local societies, having
membership of 4O5,S10 persons. The
following data are given in this re-
port:
Total assets .....................S SIG 794. S91
Total liabilities ADMINISTRATORS. 116 437,1S
Outstanding loans and credits. 1.9i0,027
Outstanding loans to members
in 1907 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1IOOS, Adj
Credit of members .............. Ass. 53S
Savings deposits end OF 1907. 92S32 59S
Reserve fund end 1907 .......... $3.50, 239
Business credit of members end
1907. participation in business. s62, 100
Total business receipts and ex
pendltureS ................,....... EoSo $40
The following statistics represent
the new business transacted by the
savings and loan societies Of the Gen
eral Agricultural organization for the
year stated above:
Loans and money paid out for
purchases Observation-Disclosures. xS939,S6l
Paid out to members in course
Of year ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 70 l1,l7O
Paid in by members ............... 9,22S, CAT
Repayment on loans .............. 1864, S55
Savings paid In NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 34.794, 357
| Cost of administration .......... 70l, s74
Cooperative Buying.
The Cooperative Purchasing society
Is the second in number and in impOr-
| lance of any group of the imperial or
ganization. There We're on May 10.
| 1909, 2,12S local societies, having an
average membership of JOG persons in
| each society. The annual report Of
| 1907 gives the latest data of the bust
ness done by this group of the impe-
rial organization. At this date there
were twenty seven circuit unions, COM
posed Of 1888 local societies, with a
total membership of 216,674 persons:
Assets S1S0sl. 544
Liabilities OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. l2.TI9,so6
| Reserve fund NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. Liz, TAB
| Credit balance of members end
| OF 1907 Observation-Disclosures. bJS,Ooi
| Value OF merchandise purchased % 46S, TIC
| Cost of administration ............ COO, 543
The average purchase per person dur
ing six consecutive years, beginning in
the year 1902, is as follows; $3.50.
$60.93, $64.02, $S9.06, $94.72, $104, re-
| spectively. The principal articles max
ing up this amount in the following
order of value were fertilizers, feed
stuffs, seed. coal and agricultural ma
chinery. The working capital of the
cooperative purchasing societies for
this period was, during the year 1906,
S10,65S7O4, approximately GO per cent
of the value Of purchases made for the
members and for the year 1907, S12,-
! no. 966. or about 60 per cent of the
value of the purchases made. The sur
plus shown in the report given
amounts TO S4.2S per member. 1t will
be observed that the cost of admins
| tration is less than the favorable bal
ance shown by the surplus and is ap-
proximately $500 for each member.
A Live Connecticut Grange.