272 THE FUTURE OF OUR ACxRICULTURE. 



However, in such matter as this Governments should 

 help, as it is perfectly legitimate for them to do. They 

 cannot conduct the supervision themselves. That is a 

 technical matter requiring special qualifications. The well- 

 founded opposition raised to State interference in the matter 

 of control abroad — where such interference is quite unneces- 

 sary, and is, as results have shown, very inefficiently handled 

 — is directed against the actual conducting of the inspection 

 by Government officers, who are necessarily quite unfitted 

 for the work, possessing no interest in the well-being of the 

 banks and apt to perform their work — as in a good many 

 cases they have actually done — either in a perfunctory 

 and therefore wholly useless manner, or else autocratically, 

 with needless and profitless worrying. I have been questioned 

 on behalf of the Agricultural Department of the United 

 States whether there is any objection to the mere verifica- 

 tion of the actual facts, the entries on the balance sheet 

 and the data supplied in the Annual Report by officers of 

 the State, and have of course at once answered that there 

 is none. The more facts are verified the better it will be 

 for the bank. 



Checking and control there must be and it must be 

 efficiently conducted, or the societies may easily come to 

 grief. And for such work an adequate personnel is required. 

 A full-grown movement can well provide for the necessary 

 expense. An infant movement cannot. The movement is 

 for the national benefit. And inspection in the early 

 stages is " teaching." Therefore a Government may well 

 for a few years put its hand into its pocket to contribute 

 to the expense. That assistance, if it is efficiently given, 

 will not be required for long. For its security the Govern- 

 ment may demand that it be kept in full cognisance of 

 facts, that the scheme of supervision be communicated to 

 it and that results be reported to it. But it must not 

 undertake the inspection itself, just as little as it employs 

 its office clerks and assistants to set up its buildings, the 

 erection of which is a matter for builders. 



With this exception the less State aid there is, the more 

 co-operators are compelled to rely upon themselves, managing 



