222 AGRICULTURAL ORGANISATION 



three occasions sureties have been called on to make good 

 part of a loan ; but the society itself has made no bad debts 

 and has incurred no loss. " Several of the members," as told 

 in Leaflet No. 261 of the Board of Agriculture, from which 

 these details are taken, " say the existence of the society 

 has enabled them to undertake profitable transactions with 

 sums borrowed from the society which they could not have 

 obtained elsewhere, and one family, at least, has, by its 

 own thrift and industry, risen from the position of day- 

 labourers to that of substantial small farmers." 



The Wiggenhall (Norfolk) Agricultural Credit Society, 

 registered in 1896, was started with the help of a sum of 

 70 placed in the hands of the treasurer (a representative 

 of a local joint stock bank) as deposits by the chairman 

 and two other members of the committee, and the purposes 

 for which loans are granted are such as purchase of live stock, 

 feeding stuffs, seeds, implements or manure, repairing 

 and working greenhouses, and hire of horse labour. The 

 membership at the end of 1910 was 45, and nine loans were 

 granted during the year, the aggregate amount advanced 

 being 127. 



From the reports of various other societies the following 

 might also be given : 



MOUNTSORREL CREDIT SOCIETY. Three of the borrowers 

 are small holders under the County Council, which placed an 

 excessively high valuation on the holdings, thus absorbing 

 practically all the applicants' capital. The loans proved an 

 invaluable assistance in enabling the borrowers to properly 

 stock and equip the land they had acquired. ... All the 

 monthly payments have been made with exemplary punctuality. 



HEDGE END CREDIT SOCIETY. One member was able to 

 plant a particular field with potatoes through a loan. Many of 

 them could not have put labour into their holdings but for loans. 



FRISKNEY CREDIT SOCIETY. We lent money in two instances 

 to labourers to buy seed potatoes and pigs, and also to assist 

 three young men to take holdings, one to buy implements, 

 another stock, and another to retain stock which he would 

 otherwise have had to mortgage. 



CRADLEY AND DISTRICT CREDIT SOCIETY. Our society is a 

 great help to its members. We have had several applications 

 for 50 loans, mostly for buying cattle and pigs. 



