84 INFORMATION RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY IN GENERAL 



a few cases an additional cause for the auction was a lack'of means which did 

 not allow farming to be continued. 



During the year i July 1915 — i July 1916 the commission adminis- 

 tered (i) 230 individual properties and farms, extending over 111,636 

 hectares, of which 126 extending over 57,584 hectares were large farms. 

 The other 104, extending over 54,052 hectares, have ceased to be adminis- 

 tered by the commission which has remitted them to settlers. 



At the end of the year 1915-1916 (July) 672 holdings, having a total 

 area of 293,618 hectares, ceased to be directly administered by the com- 

 mission. 



In 1915-1916 cereals were sold for 6,510,437 marks; potatoes, sugar 

 beetroot and live and other stock represented on 30 June 191 6 a value of 

 7,075,800 marks as against 6,458,000 marks in the preceding year, that is 

 to say it had increased by 617,800 marks. 



At the end of 1916 the Commission of Colonization had at its disposal 

 176,126,537 marks; namely 95,836,230 marks for colonization properly so 

 called, and 80,287,307 marks for the consolidation of peasant property 

 and of large property in West Prussia and in Posnania. 



RKGKNCY OF TUNIS. 



THE SOCIETY 'OF THE FRENCH FARMS OF TUNISIA DURING THE WAR. — 

 L'^conomiste frangais {The French Economist) , 45th year, No. 31, Paris, 4 August 1917. 



In our issue for January 1912 we gave sufficiently detailed information 

 as to this colonizing enterprise. We wish now merely to recal that its suc- 

 cess is due to its encouragement of the conversion of the European wage- 

 earning labourer into a metaver. 



In spite of difficulties due to the war the balance-sheet showed on 

 31 December 1916 a profit of 231,872 francs. The society which has 

 a capital of 2,250,000 francs, has continued rapidly to improve the value 

 of the three rural properties registered as its real estate. They have a 

 total area of 22,000 hectares (2) and in 1916 covered their own farming 

 costs and furnished a part of the interest on the invested capital. But the 

 continuation of the war has multiplied difficulties. Several agents were 

 mobilized in 1916, and labour has become much dearer because Tunisia 

 has sent to France several thousands of native labourers and soldiers. On 

 the other hand'there has been compensation for these disadvantages^ in the 

 high prices of agricultural products. 



The following table allows of a comparison between the annual profit 

 from the society''? three chief sources of revenue in the last four years : 



(i) Cf . our issue for December 1 91 2, Bulletin mensuel des Institutions iconomiqiies et Sociales 

 4th year, vol. 25, pp. 157 e/ se^. 

 (2) I hectare = 2.47 acres. 



