82 AGRICULTURAL ORGANISATION 



Cahirciveen, Cork and Waterford, and agents in the principal 

 cities in Great Britain for the marketing of eggs, honey, etc. 

 It also has a Banking Department which grants loans to 

 trading societies experiencing difficulty in arranging for 

 financial accommodation. The progress which has been 

 made by the affiliated societies since 1906 is shown by the 

 following table : — 



Credit societies play a still more important role, perhaps, 

 in Irish agricultural organisation to-day than the creameries 

 which preceded them in order of establishment. Ireland is 

 better adapted than Great Britain for a widespread system 

 of credit societies on the Raiffeisen model by reason of the 

 fact that the peasantry there are on a more equal, and, 

 financially, somewhat lower, footing than is the case with 

 our own more diversified classes of agriculturists. Aided 

 alike by advances from the Department of Agriculture and 

 the Congested Districts Board and by generous treatment 

 at the hands of the joint-stock banks, the credit societies 

 have conferred very great advantages on the Irish peasantry, 

 and not on them alone but, also, on the farmers in a higher 

 social position who have, in turn, resorted to the same 

 principle. 



Action has also been taken in various directions to promote 

 the co-operative sale of produce ; though here there is a 

 good deal of scope left in Ireland for further activity ; the 

 poultry and egg industry has been more successful when 

 carried on by societies established for general trading 

 purposes than by societies devoting themselves exclusively 

 to this business, while the home industries societies have 

 been an especially interesting development of organised 

 effort in Ireland. 



