THE ACTIVITY OF THE PEASANTS LAND BAXK 35 



who need them. Most frequently a lease does not last beyond the harvest 

 for longer leases would interfere with the bank's enterprise of selling pro- 

 perties which it is pursuing with success. 



The extent of the woods owned by the bank was 657,439 deciatines 

 on I January 1915 and yielded a profit of 3,963,878 roubles (i) in which 

 payments made in previous years for woods sold were included. 



It should be noted that the profits derived from the bank's lands were 

 5,823,361 roubles, or 41 per cent, of the capital spent on buying properties, 

 as against 4.6 per cent, in 1914 and 4.4 per cent, in 1913. 



§ 6. The bank's loans to peasants for the purchase 



OF lands belonging TO INDIVIDUALS. 



The bank's inter\'ention in sales of land by individuals lessened 

 noticeably in 1915 even as compared with 1914. Requests for loans 

 numbered only 2,456 as against 11,387 in the previous year. The loans 

 granted numbered 5,720 as against 12,798 in the previous year. 



In its third period of activity these operations of the bank were as 

 folloM s : 



(i) I rouble = about zs i % <^- at par. 



