REGENCY OF TUNIS. 



NATIVE THRIFT SOCIETIES IN 1915. 



OFFlCIAIv SOURCE: 



Direction Generale des finances: Compfe rendu des op<'rafions des soctefes indigenes de 

 pievoyance en 1915. [Financial Statement as to the Work of the Native Thrift Societies 

 in 1915). Txuiis, 1916. 



The native thrift societies, to which all native agriculturists are obliged to 

 belong, date from 1901. In those days there was question only of an experi- 

 ment, and in 1905 onl}^ fifteen societies were at work. The benefits of the 

 scheme were extended to the whole regency by a decree of 20 May 1907. The 

 first article of this decree states that the Tunisian societies are enterprises 

 of "agricultural mutual aid" — thus presuming for them a large programme 

 of collective activitj^ — and specifies their power to form among their mem- 

 bers agricultural co-operative associations. Article 21 lays down that 

 such co-operdtive societies may enjoy the benefit of special advances 

 from the sums annually due to the Bank of Algeria, exactly as do the 

 planters' co-operative societies. The thrift societies play, towards the 

 co-operative societies and in respect of these advances, exactly the role of 

 the district banks of agricultural credit. 



But the Tunisian legislature has aimed especially at organizing credit 

 for natives. The decree states verj^ clearly in the first place that loans are 

 to be made exclusively to members of the thrift societies (articles 3 and 

 13) . These loans are in ;the form of seeds and of specie : the members can 

 borrow even to extinguish prior debts, if necessary, on the security of mort- 

 gages, so that they can at once free themselves from dependence on usurers. 

 Further the decree of 20 May 1907 is concerned with providing the thrift 

 societies with the resources necessary to their credit operations : it deducts 

 from an advance of one million francs (i) made by the Tunisian govern- 

 ment to the Bank of Algeria a sum of 50,000 francs as reserved to these 

 societies ; and to this a decree of 26 January 191 1 adds the half of the an- 

 nual dues. From these sums the societies can receive free advances equal 



3 

 (i) I franc = <) — i/ at par. 



