264 REPORT ON COOPERATION IN AMERICAN EXPORT TRADE.
out, a central treasury, to which all payments were to be made, was
included in the plan.
When organization took place in 1913, a large proportion of the
700 cotton manufacturing establishments in Italy, representing a
fixed capital of between 500 arid 600 million lire, became members.
Of the 4,582,000 spindles in the country, representing 135 establishments,
 3,870,000, or more than 84 per cent, came under the control
of the combination.
During the six or eight months preceding the outbreak of the
European conflict the institute was successfully carrying out and
working toward its desired objects by instituting a short time régime
and limiting the term of contract to seven months.
The silk industry.—While no great syndicate seems to dominate the
[talian silk industry at present, cartels have been formed among the
producers, and demands have been made for a well-developed organization
 that would do for the industry in Italy what combination of
interests has done for other countries. As far back as 1907 a syndicate
 comprising 53 of the most important silk ribbon manufacturers
of Italy was organized, the chief object being to bring about a uniform
increase in selling prices, on account of the high cost of raw materials;
also in 1909, and probably through subsequent years, the silk manufacturers
 were bound together by a convention which fixed prices,
regulated salaries, and discouraged the counterfeiting of models and
designs of fabrics?
Flax and hemp industry.— With headquarters at Milan, five of the
most important flax and hemp spinning mills in Italy organized a
selling comptoir in 1911 under the title of Commissionnario di Lino e
Canape. The combination was made for a period of 12 years.®
BELGIUM.

Association Cotonnidre de Belgique.—Until 1899, competition in
sotton spinning in Belgium was unrestrained, but in that year, as
she result of overproduction, conditions became so bad that the
spinners held a meeting where each reported the stocks he had on
hand. The quantity was so great that it was deemed expedient to
agree upon a period of ‘“chomage,” and for two months 350,000
spindles ceased operation. This led to the organization of the Association
 Cotonniére de Belgique, which eventually comprised fourfifths
 of the spindles in Belgium.
The members of the association followed a common scale of prices,
made up each week by an appointed committee, the prices being
based upon the price of raw cotton in Liverpool. As soon as new

11/Industris, 1912, p. 545; 1913, pp. 797, 798; Réforme Economique, 1913, p. 777.
L’Industris, 1913, pp. 702-703; Le Monde Economique, vol. 17, p. 590; E. Martin Saint-Léon: Kartells
®t ‘frusts, 3d ed., 1909, p. 107.
YRéforme Economique, 1913, p. 873.