WORKING CREDIT FOR FARMERS. 263 



sums, paid by the Bank of France, upon two several renewals 

 of its charter, available for purposes of Agricultural Credit, 

 the disposal of which it has kept securely in its own hands. 

 Hence the complaint of " manna " dropping into the lap 

 of favoured societies, to the loss of less favoured, but 

 generally more deserving ones. But the main objections 

 are these, that, of course, being so freely favoured with 

 advances — repayment of which, as the Chairman of one 

 Regional Bank openly declared at the annual meeting of 

 his Union, " we do not suppose that the Government will 

 look for " — members have refused to take upon themselves 

 any of that liability which the Government fully intended 

 them to take, or, indeed, to make any serious efforts for 

 the sake of building up economic prosperity. It is all 

 " take," no " do " whatever. In the intention of the 

 Government the societies assisted were, with the assistance 

 rendered out of State funds, to make themselves strong 

 enough to become self-supporting and self-governing. That 

 aim has been in the main defeated, as it was bound to be by 

 gifts. " Ce que le poiilain pre?td en dompture, il le maintient 

 tant qu'il dure." The banks remain parasites. And many 

 of them also have shown very little desire to accumulate 

 the necessary reserve funds. Their reserve lies in the 

 Credit Agricole. 



Just as in Germany, all the Government action has been 

 found to be prompted by very much of a political object. 

 The Syndicats Agricoles, whose action has attracted the 

 admiration of Lord Reay, are, of course, officered in the main 

 by agriculturists of the superior class. And these gentle- 

 men were suspected by the Government of harbouring 

 pronouncedly Royalist sentiments. The aim of the Repub- 

 lican Government accordingly was, by means of a finely 

 forged golden chain, to bind the rural population to its own 

 car. However, the Syndicats are now trying to establish 

 a credit system of their own, in independence of the State. 

 As in Germany, the true object of State banks has been 

 found out and is resented. 



Things are different in Hungary, the fruitful " Co-opera- 

 tion " in Agriculture of which has attracted much notice 



