AGRICULTURAL CREDIT BANKS 211 



and other things, thus serving the purpose of 

 a supply association ; they procure the agricul- 

 tural machinery which local associations hold 

 in common ; they undertake the sale of produce, 

 and they also arrange for various forms of in- 

 surance, including insurance against sickness, 

 against famine resulting from loss of crops, 

 and also against prejudice to crops due to an 

 inadequate supply of labour. It is true that 

 some of these functions will be delegated to sub- 

 sidiary bodies, but the agricultural credit bank 

 is the controlling spirit. Thus, in the report of 

 the Union of Agricultural Co-operative Societies 

 in Servia (a federation formed in 1895) for the 

 year ending June 30th, 1903, mention is made 

 of 228 agricultural credit and savings banks, 

 while the number of exclusively purchase 

 societies is given as only two. Yet the afore- 

 said banks, in addition to granting during the 

 year 8,209 loans, representing a total of 

 £26,500, bought agricultural necessaries to the 

 extent of another £15,000. These may be small 

 figures compared with corresponding returns in 

 France and Germany ; but, considering that 

 Servia is a small and a backward country, and 

 that the movement here described only began 

 in 1893, the results stated are distinctly credit- 

 able. 



