Page:Economic Development in Denmark Before and During the World War.djvu/92

76  Committee, founded in 1899 and composed of representatives of all of them. It has considered many questions of common interest, such as: the prevention of competition between the various societies; the auditing of accounts; the methods of book-keeping; the marking of Danish butter, etc. It took the initiative in establishing the co-operative bank, and it has represented the Danish co-operative movement at the great international congresses which have been held from time to time for the discussion of principles of co-operation. The conditions which have thus developed are quite in accord with those which have developed in other departments of the economic and social life of Denmark. They are the result of free choice and independent action on the part of each individual, combined with a well organized effort of the community to effect a solution of common problems.

Condition of the Agricultural Labourer It cannot be said that the Danish government has done much for the betterment of agriculture. The question of the parcelling out of land was acted upon by the legislature in 1897 and again in 1906, when it was determined how much of a parcelled-out property must be left to preserve the integrity of the estate. Only a third of the Hartkorn was restricted, while the rest might be freely disposed of. This ruling must be considered in connexion with the modern efforts for procuring access to the establishment of small holdings. As early as the eighteenth century efforts had been made to better the condition of the farmers, but little attention had been paid to that of the cottars. The right of a landlord to punish his cottars was abolished in 1848, and a law was also passed providing that a contract for the lease of a house must contain no provision for payment in labour. But the question of small holdings was not taken up until the end of the nineteenth century, when an agricultural commission (appointed in 1894) considered conditions of 