220 AGRICULTURAL ORGANISATION 



TYPICAL SOCIETIES. 



A few typical examples will show more clearly the lines 

 on which the societies operate. 



The Scawby society is the oldest of the agricultural 

 co-operative credit societies now in England. Scawby is 

 a rural parish in Lincolnshire, two miles from the market 

 town of Brigg, has a population of about 1,000, and an acreage 

 under crops and grass of 2,825 acres. The land is held 

 in 39 holdings, of which 26 are under 50 acres each. The 

 society was formed as the final outcome of a public meeting 

 held on July 3rd, 1894, under the chairmanship of the 

 principal landowner of the parish, and addressed by the 

 secretary of the Agricultural Banks Association, but was 

 not registered, under the Friendly Societies Act, until 

 November ist, 1895. 



The object of the society, as stated in the rules, is to 

 create funds to be lent out to its members ; but every loan 

 must be one that, in the opinion of the society, offers a 

 sufficient prospect of repaying itself by the production, 

 business or economy which it will enable the borrower to 

 effect. No part of the funds can be divided by way of 

 profit, bonus, dividend or otherwise among the members. 

 Any surplus accruing to the society after payment of the 

 costs of management must be carried to a reserve fund 

 which by vote of the general meeting of the members can 

 be drawn upon to meet exceptional losses. Only persons 

 (male or female) owning or occupying land or residing in 

 the parish of Scawby or its immediate neighbourhood can 

 become members, and applicants must be approved by the 

 committee. Each member has only one vote, and all are 

 liable to an equal levy in the event of funds being required 

 to make up any deficiency in the working of the society ; 

 in other words, all the members are equally, jointly and 

 severally liable for any debts incurred by the society, and 

 no limit is fixed for their liability. There are no shares, 

 and neither is there any share capital. The affairs of the 

 society are conducted by the chairman, a committee of six, 



