320 AN OBJECT-LESSON FROM SERVIA 



to him in the purchase of live-stock, implements, seeds, 

 or feeding-stuffs, or in defraying the cost of construct- 

 ing or repairing his buildings, these being the purposes 

 for which loans are mostly sought. In 1903 there were 

 359 of these local agricultural credit associations in 

 Servia, and the returns made by 295 of them showed 

 that the membership thereof numbered 14,139, and that 

 9,307 loans were granted during the year, representing 

 a total of 31,632. 



The purchases in 1903 of the various societies which 

 group the orders of their members for seeds, fertilizers, 

 feeding-stuffs, implements, etc., amounted to close on 

 22,000. 



Then there were also in the same 3^ear 120 co-opera- 

 tive societies for the combined acquirement and joint 

 use of costly agricultural machines. The members 

 operate without capital, but they hold themselves once 

 more 'jointly and severally ' responsible for the liabili- 

 ties incurred, and with no other guarantee than this 

 the Caisse Centrale obtains the desired machine and 

 sends it in to the society. It is then put at the disposal 

 of the individual members, according to a fixed rate 

 agreed upon among them, three-fourths of the sums 

 thus received being forwarded to the Caisse Centrale 

 to pay for the machine, while the remaining one-fourth 

 is retained to cover the cost of repairs. In this way 

 the poorest of the peasants gets the use of the most 

 perfect of agricultural machinery in return for a small 

 fee, which becomes almost nominal when eventually 

 the cost of the machine has been fully repaid. 



Of co-operative dairies there are only seven in Servia, 

 all of recent formation. Included in the number is one 

 for the sale of milk in Belgrade. 



The various local societies have their district unions, 

 and they further join with these and with the Caisse 



