136 CO-OPERATIVE CREDIT ASSOCIATIONS. 



but he has not sufficient capital to keep going at home for a twelvemonth. 

 He, however, has a large family of small children which, although an encum- 

 brance now, will, he believes, when the boys are able to handle a spade, be 

 the means of making him an independent man. Thus men, even with good 

 holdings, are compelled to go to England year after year because their 

 unaided toil is not sufficient to work their farms." (Report (unpublished) 

 of Mr. Paul Gregan, Bank Organiser, I.A.O.S.) 



Another small tenant (a woman) whom Mr. Gregan interviewed in Burren 

 said that " if money were easily got the men would stay at home, which she 

 maintained, would be far more profitable than going to England, where 

 they learn bad habits." " In connection with the labour problem in Burren," 

 the same gentleman writes, " I have been endeavouring to introduce the 

 use of small, wheeled, one-horse ploughs, light enough for a man to carry on 

 his back, and not too deep for the shallow soil. There is not a single plough 

 in Burren." The want of capital, in the form of money or of such machinery 

 and other equipment as the rural economy of small holdings of poor land 

 would justify, is, it is obvious, a grievous want in the districts served by these 

 Raiffeisen credit associations, and consequently their increase and success 

 must be regarded as a most hopeful and healthful means in the uplifting ot 

 backward agricultural communities. 



A large percentage of the rural banks are in Congested Districts. There 

 are in Mayo as many as 25 of these co-operative credit associations, in Gal- 

 way 14, in Donegal 10, in Wexford 4, in Clare and Sligo 3 each ; 2 each in 

 Queen's County Roscommon, Cavan, Waterford, and Tyrone, and i in each 

 of the Counties Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, Armagh, Down, Kilkenny, and 

 Londonderry. It will be noticed that 3 of the 4 " banks " registered in the 

 County Wexford do not admit the principle of unlimited liability which 

 is characteristic of the true Raiffeisen " bank." 



The following statement shows the growth of co-operative credit associa- 

 tions in Ireland since 1895. 



Co-operative Credit Associations in Ireland, 1895-1901. 



1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899. 1900, 1901, 



31st Mar. 31st Mar. 31st Mar. 31st Mar. 31st Mar. 31st Dec. 31st Dec. 

 No. of Associations, i 2 3 15 48 75 103 



The membership has grown from less than 50 in 1895 to 4,223 (estimated) 

 on December 31st, 190 1. In a series of transactions, involving over iJ'i6,0(X), 

 two societies have made losses of a trifling sum of about £4* A very good 

 record for punctuality in repayment of loans has been established. When 

 it is remembered that there are no paid officials in these credit associations, 

 and that all the services of management and control are cheerfully given 

 without reward, the educational value of such organisations cannot be 

 disputed. 



* These " losses," it is worth pointing out, arose, not from any defaults in payments on the 

 part of borrowers, but from certain banks not being able to put into circulation all the capital 

 they possessed. 



