54 



INFORMATION RELATING TO CREDIT 



Their task is recognized to be that of seeking, even outside the limits 

 of the plan dictated by the law on the consolidation of property, to bring 

 about within their spheres the emanicipation of agricultural property from 

 mortgages. 



These united efforts were first exercised in Posnania and West Prus- 

 sia between 1905 and 1906, some years before the law on the consolidation 

 of property was promulgated. In 1913 they spread to the four other provin- 

 ces. On 31 December 1916 they ha.d yielded appreciable results, expressed 

 by the following figures : 



Date 

 at which 



the 

 procedure 

 for 

 conso- 

 lidation 

 was first 

 applied 



Posnania. . . 



West Prussia . 



East Prussia . 



Pomerania . . 



Silesia .... 



Schleswig Hol- 

 stein . . . 



1905 

 1906 



1913 

 1913 

 1913 



1913 



Properties 

 Peasants' Properties I^arge Properties subject to the 



Verschuldungs- 

 ^ — " — *"" ^™"^ —^ ~ grenze 



Number Area Number Area -' ~""~-^" "" 



Number Area 



hectares hectares hectares 



5,912 97,922 88 55,204 47 29,865 

 5,354 118,580 159 66,023 22 11,412 



12 

 179 

 269 



1,696 

 6,044 



6,288 



12 

 30 



i>i43 



6,911 



12,275 



4.562 

 9.893 



Total 

 area 



hectares 



153.126 



184,603 



2.839 



12,955 

 18,563 



359 10,726 7 1,592 



1,217 12,318 



These figures show us that of the provisions regarding interior colo- 

 nization, the consolidation of property and emanicipation from mortgages, 

 one is relatively important, that namely which imposes the Verschuldungs- 

 grenze. This is a maximum limit to mortgage debts on land employed for 

 purposes of agriculture or forestry. It was established by the law of 20 

 August 1906 and was intended to reduce mortgage burdens, it being argued 

 logically that the first step towards lessening these burdens should be an 

 effort to limit their growth. The result thus obtained is the more interest- 

 ing because this limitation of mortgage burdens may be said to be optional, 

 since the provision fixing a maximum charge cannot be registered in the 

 land books except at the request of the proprietor. 



But while obtaining that about 15 per cent, of the consolidated proper- 

 ties were subject to a limitation on their future burdens, a disburdening 

 was at the same time also effected in the shape of a real diminution of char- 

 ges, as will be seen from the following d^ta, in which these charges in the 

 five or six provinces (i) contemplated are compared as regards their state 

 before the law on consolidation was promulgated and its subsequent modi- 

 fication. 



(i) The data for East Prussia are lacking. 



