THK AGRICUI.TURAI< CREDIT OF THK BANKS OF XAPI^ES AND SICII^Y 47 



§ 4. The DEPARTMENT OF AGRICUIvTURAL CREDIT IN THE " BANCO DI SICIT.IA ". 



Ths Intermediary Institidions. — As appears in tbe bank's report the 

 institutions admitted to credit on 31 Decembei 1916 numbered 324 and 

 their own capital amounted to 3,304,111 liras. They comprised 46,648 

 members with a total presumed capital of 217,035,845 liras. Of these insti- 

 tutions 304. had the fojm of co-operative societies, and of such 264 were 

 nominally collective, 37 had limited Hability and 3 were limited joint-stock 

 companies. Twenty were legal corporations. The institutions were 

 distributed as follows among the seven provinces of the island : Girgenti 

 64, Palermo 56, Catania 50, Caltanissetta 49, Trapam" 47, Syracuse 30, and 

 Messina 28. According to their nature they can be classified as follows : 



Co-operative agricultural societies of production and labour 134 

 Agricultural funds ' ' "^ 



Civil persons 



Agricultural consortia 18 



Rural funds 46 



Monti frumentari 11 



Agricultural banks . 13 



Popular banks 4 



Agricultural societies 7 



Of these societies thus accredited by the bank 37 lease collectively a 

 total area of 28,809.4854 hectares. 



In 1916 as previously the society exercised caution in accrediting in- 

 stitutions, wishing better to guarantee the credit conceded. The total 

 credit enjoyed by the institutions amounted to 15,178,000 hras. 



It is interesting to notice that 190 of the 357 communes of the island 

 contained at the end of 1916 institutions admitted to credit, while 167 

 were without them. Kach of 109 communes contained one of such insti- 

 tutions and the others more than one — one had as many as T2. 



In 1916 these institutions were as always carefully watched : 130 

 inspections took place and in the large majority of cases discovered that 

 the institutions were working normally. 



The Operations Effected. — In 1916 the department effected 24,575 ope- 

 rations for 7,792,580 liras. Of them 24,525 for 7,587,080 liras depended on 

 operations concluded with or b}' the medium of intermediary institutions. 

 The others were concluded with individuals directly. 



The operations concluded are distributed as follows among the various 

 provinces: Palermo 1,847, 3^3-59 ^^^^^ '> Girgenti 1,222,177.21 liras ; Trapani 

 1,092,528.38 liras ; Syracuse 1,703,445.56 liras ; Caltagirone 975,500.39 

 liras ; Caltanisetta 814,975.36 liras ; Messina 430,486.24 liras ; Catania 

 336,153-87 liras. 



