IO4 AGRICULTURAL CREDIT BANKS 



in their views on this subject. In the Punjaub the 

 controlling staff paid by Government consists of an 

 English Registrar and Indian Assistant Registrar, seven 

 inspectors and ten sub-inspectors; but unions and 

 central banks pay for an additional inspecting staff, 

 which also works under the orders of the Registrar. The 

 enthusiasm displayed by some of the carefully chosen 

 body of inspectors is most hopeful. They are not red- 

 tape bureaucrats, but sometimes, on the contrary, deserve 

 to be described as missionaries of co-operation. 



British Colonies and Dependencies are broadly divisible 

 into countries in which people of European descent can 

 do field work efficiently, and countries in which farm 

 labour must be done by indigenous or imported coloured 

 people. Tropical countries and a considerable area north 

 and south of the tropics fall into the latter category. 

 The difference is reflected in the form of administration. 

 In the one class we have the self-governing Colonies, and 

 in the other the Crown Colonies and our great Indian 

 Dependency, where popular Government is impossible. 

 So far as agricultural credit banks are concerned atten- 

 tion may be confined to the coloured population, in- 

 digenous or imported. It is unlikely that under present 

 circumstances co-operative credit will appeal to farmers 

 of European descent in our Colonies, or European land- 

 owners, too often absentee, in the West Indies. Apart 

 from the ordinary business sources of credit they will 

 rely on State loans. The agricultural loans of Rhodesia, 

 Australia, and New Zealand are identical in their nature 

 with takdvi in India. In democratically governed coun- 

 tries any system of State loans may lead to abuse, and 

 this at least is essential, that they should be made at such 

 a rate of interest as will safeguard the general taxpayer 

 from loss. 



In this matter of agricultural co-operative credit in the 

 tropics we have at present to think of three classes : - 



(a) East Indians. 



(b} Other Asiatics, as Cingalese, Malays, and Poly- 

 nesians. 



(c) Persons of pure or mixed African descent. 



Experience in India itself leads us to conclude that the 



