Hermann von Schullern zu Schrattenhofen, Das Gesetz, betreffend die Errichtung von Berufsgenossenschaften der Landwirte (1902)

Schullern’s legislative commentary examines Austria’s 1902 law establishing agricultural occupational associations. Moving from the unequal development of agriculture and industry through successive legislative drafts to the enacted framework, he identifies comprehensive organization as the law’s principal promise. Individual economic services matter chiefly as means of enabling farmers to act collectively and obtain effective political representation.

The opening challenges the assumption that agriculture’s difficulties under industrialization and overseas competition were inevitable. Formal economic freedom did not entail equal public support:

Dabei vergass man unter anderem, wie die Industrie nicht etwa nur freigegeben worden war, sondern positiv gefördert wurde,¹) dass also im Wettstreite zwischen Landwirtschaft und Industrie Licht und Schatten keineswegs gleich vertheilt waren.

English translation: In doing so one forgot, among other things, how industry had not merely been set free but was positively promoted,¹) and thus that in the contest between agriculture and industry light and shade were by no means equally distributed.

Agrarian mobilization thus responds to an imbalance in economic policy. Compulsory association rests on shared interests and the legitimacy of requiring participation for collective benefit. Yet Schullern also expects organization to temper excessive agrarian demands. Institutional responsibility should encourage recognition of common aims with industry and commerce:

Das Gefühl unmittelbarer sozialer Verantwortlichkeit wird in dieser Richtung wirksam werden.

English translation: The feeling of immediate social responsibility will become effective in this direction.

Economic cooperation is therefore connected with political moderation. The associations should strengthen agriculture without perpetuating an absolute antagonism between economic sectors.

The legislative history demonstrates the difficulty of translating solidarity into workable institutions. An early project linking associations with Rentengüter was withdrawn in 1895; objections to compulsory members’ exposure to speculative enterprises prompted further revision. Enactment represents a qualified achievement:

Der sechste Entwurf ist endlich Gesetz geworden, aber nicht ohne eine Reihe von Abänderungen, die er noch, und zwar nicht gerade durchaus zu seinem Gunsten, hat erfahren müssen.

English translation: The sixth draft has at last become law, but not without a series of amendments which it still had to undergo, and indeed not exactly altogether to its advantage.

The law’s framework character adds uncertainty. Provincial legislation determines its practical reach, allowing adaptation but potentially weakening comprehensive organization:

Auch heute steht es noch nicht fest, in welchem Umfange sie thatsächlich in Kraft treten werden, denn man war genöthigt, wieder ein Rahmengesetz zu schaffen, so dass für die Praxis die Auctorität der Landtage über jene des Reichsrathes gestellt erscheint.

English translation: Even today it is not yet settled to what extent they will actually come into force, for it was necessary once again to create a framework law, so that for practice the authority of the provincial diets appears to be placed above that of the Imperial Council.

Schullern evaluates institutional arrangements by their capacity to enable collective representation without allowing particular interests to dominate. District and provincial associations supply the basic structure; municipal units and local exceptions should remain limited. Separate associations may protect ordinary farmers from both the numerical predominance of owners of minute holdings and large landowners’ financial and social power. Occupational unity nevertheless permits distinctions: he accepts possible exclusion of minute holdings whose owners depend on wage work, opposes wholesale exclusion of large estates, and questions compulsory inclusion of owners whose land is predominantly forest.

The proposed functions include credit, insurance, employment placement, instruction, arbitration, collective purchasing and marketing, and support for specialized economic cooperatives. These activities could extend economies of scale to smaller farms while helping larger enterprises address labor difficulties and dependence on international grain prices. Schullern nevertheless questions the designation “Genossenschaften” for bodies whose duties overlap with existing institutions. Compulsory membership also demands safeguards against speculative losses: requested purchases and sales must remain at participating members’ risk.

Administrative continuity and cost further condition success. Although practicing farmers should normally participate, compulsory transfer of membership rights to short-term tenants could destabilize the organization. Contributions collected through land-tax supplements require limits and economical administration; compulsory expenditure is defensible only where benefits exceed costs. Clear relations among municipal, district, and provincial bodies are equally necessary. The concluding note adds a practical prerequisite: officials should receive advance preparation in agriculture, commerce, and relevant legal matters.

Schullern’s assessment remains conditional on provincial legislation and subsequent experience. He accepts institutional imperfections because comprehensive organization may accomplish more than its immediate services suggest. The commentary links economic cooperation, social responsibility, and political representation: the law’s deepest promise is to constitute farmers as an effective public interest.