levjang contributions and executing work, they must
be supported by a unanimous vote of their members ;
and a considerable number also are organised in fuU
independence and therefore essentially " co-operative."
The work committed to these associations is surface
drainage, irrigation, warping, the construction of roads
and similar operations. Such work being frequently a
" one- job " business only, of short duration, not a few of
the associations are purely ephemeral. A considerable
number however are permanent, and in fact date back
a respectable length of time. As many as 4,900 were
formed before 1865. The doings of the associations are
deserving of notice ; but there does not appear to be
much scope for precisely similar work in this country.
In the matter of water supply, indeed, their example
may in some instances prove worthy of imitation, and
possibly also of irrigation, for the execution of which,
in the United States, there exist many thousands of
co-operative societies. There are a good many co-operative
societies carrying out water-supply abroad, more par-
ticularly in Germany. There are 35 in the province of
Hanover alone. And we have had some beginnings in this
country. There was, for instance, the Far Forest Water
Supply Society, which began work in 1902. And there are
not a few schemes in operation on what may be called co-
operative hues, all over England, beginning in the North
Riding — co-operative as among adjoining land owners —
which are described as having proved entirely successful.
In this way fairly large districts, like the Rural District of
Thirsk, having a population of between 3,000 and 4,000,



2/6 CO-OPERATION IN AGRICULTURE.
