84 



AUSTRALIA - AGRICULTUR.\L ECONOMY IX GENERAL 



ments was considerably greater than the bank advances given to effect 

 them. Table IX taken from the report shows the value of these improve- 

 ments during the same year. The last column also shows the value of 

 the several improvements effected by the help of the bank up to date. 



Table IX. — Improvements effected laith the assistance of bank funds. 



For year ending 

 30 June 



Total amount to date 



Clearing 



Culti%'ating 



Ring-barking & scrubbing . . 



Fencing 



Draining 



Water supply 



Buildings 



Orchard 



Blackboy & poison grubbing 



285,350 



360 



338,816 



chains 

 227,815 



acres 

 10,529 



£ 

 289,066 



no 

 97,429 



68,145 



286 



35,096 



3,207 



1,606 



1,174.521 

 214,398 

 1,706,435 

 chains 

 1,452,918 



321 



£494,945! 



costing 



£ 

 1,471,636 



120,572 



246,4 72 



429,782 



5,945 

 138,615 



87.075 



4,321 

 13,786 



£2,518,204 



Proportion of loans granted. — During the year ending 30 June the 

 board of trustees held fifty meetings and dealt with 4,009 ap})lications from 

 new and old clients, aggregating £923,885. The loans authorised numbered 

 3,442 involving a sum of £660,765. Of these, sixty-three applications 

 representing the sum of £11,159, were subsequently cancelled at the 

 appUcants' request, and undrawn loans to the value of £155,734 were 

 also cancelled, leaving a net capital appropriation of £493,872 for the 

 year. Applications amounting to £184,255 were declined in full. 



Number of clients. — The accoxmts closed during the financial year 

 I913 aggregated 133 as against 461 for the preceding term. New accounts 

 to the number of 1358 were opened, making the total number of accounts, 

 current as on 30 June, 8326, and the average amount of borrowers' 

 balances £226 5s. 6d. 



Loans to farmers in other States. — In each of the Australian vStates 

 the local government has established a system under which financial aid 



