114 RUEAL RECONSTRUCTION 



are such people still. It has been the same thing abroad. In 

 Switzerland I have found a very nourishing distributive society 

 which, after doing away with it, restored the " dividend " — in 

 opposition to the opinion of some of the best of its leaders — because 

 it was found that both custom and membership declined when the 

 " dividend " system was discarded. To a large number of people 

 indeed that system is a boon. For it is not every one who can bring 

 himself of his own motion to lay by the odd penny. To the small 

 Irish farmers, for instance, who gladly started their little " co- 

 operative bank," it would have been of immense benefit if the 

 House of Commons had accepted the " Thrift and Credit Societies 

 Bill," which in 1910, after a very searching inquiry by a most 

 competent Select Committee, the members of which grew perfectly 

 enthusiastic for the principle,, the House of Lords passed unani- 

 mously, and the object of which was to authorise the smaller credit 

 societies to engage also in co-operative trading, so as by such means 

 to collect a small working capital. The small village credit 

 societies formed by these Irish small holders were lamentably 

 wanting in cash, and could not spare sufficient for such inspection 

 and audit of their banks' business as would have been desirable. 

 Help from the State towards that audit and inspection it was not 

 desired to ask ; and from the Vice-President of the Department of 

 Agriculture and Technical Instruction of that day it seemed hopeless 

 to look for it ; for he showed himself decidedly hostile to the move- 

 ment. Trading added to the credit would, by the " dividend to 

 custom " permitted under it, have brought these societies the small 

 amount of cash that they needed, besides freeing their members — 

 at any rate to some extent — from thraldom under the greedy and 

 heartless gombeener. The 10 per cent, saved on the year's house- 

 hold expenses and the like would have gone a long way towards 

 paying the inspection expenses. However, with a full programme 

 of intended legislation before it, and " King Gombeen " supreme 

 upon the Irish benches and in the Department of Agriculture, the 

 government of the day thought good to let sleeping dogs lie and leave 

 the Bill, sent down by the Upper House, in its pigeon hole. Hence, 

 very naturally the present eagerness of the Irish farmers to push a 

 village store movement, and with good cause. For as long as the 

 gombeener sits as a monopolist at the receipt of custom there is no 

 room for hope of an economic regeneration in rural Ireland. Apart 

 from this, 10 per cent, saved, 2s. out of every pound, whether it 

 be in the shape of " dividend " or of cheapness of wares, would at 

 the close of the year mount up to a tidy economy. And our people 



