THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



49 



show that the principle of estimating the 

 value of a live animal by means of the 

 scales is one that has as yet secured much 

 public favour," I felt called upon to test 

 the accuracy or inaccuracy of his state- 

 ment on the subject, and for that purpose 

 I wrote to a large number of leading 

 farmers in Scotland, and other parts of 

 the kingdom, asking for an expression of 

 their views on this question. The accom- 

 panying pamphlet is, for the most part, 

 made up of letters 1 have received from 

 the best-known stockowners in the 

 country, all of whom testify, in the 

 strongest terms, to the advantages which 

 they have derived from the use of the 

 weighbridge in accurately ascertaining 

 the value of their cattle. The pamphlet 



is not for sale, but several hundred copies 

 have already been circulated, acd any of 

 your agricultural readers who are in- 

 terested in the (luestion can have a copy 

 sent to them on application to me — 



John D. M'Jannet. 



Woodlands, Stirling, 



January 17th, 1901. 



The pamphlet, which contains twenty- 

 four pages, is full of interesting reading. 

 The testimony is chiefly that of practical 

 farmers, who, having tried the system, 

 relate their experience. These include 

 many of the most noted breeders and 

 feeders in Scotland, and several in the 

 North of EnglaHd, while an emphatic 

 American opinion is given. 



GO'Operative Banking in Hungary, 



1HE following, sent by a correspondent, 

 is extracted from the Manchester 

 Guardian : — The progress of co-o})eration 

 among the small farmers of Hungary is 

 among the most marvellous f igns of the 

 advantages which have been derived from 

 this method of action by the agricul- 

 turists of the Continent. Formerly these 

 people were largely in the hands of the 

 usurer, and in consequence their condition 

 was lamentable in the extreme. It was 

 not until 1879 that any attempt was made 

 to deal with the difticulty, but between 

 that period and 1894 a great stride was 

 made, for not only were associations 

 established, but in the five years preceed- 

 ing 1894 they progressed with marvellous 

 rapidity. The members increased by 250 

 per cent., the reserve fund increased by 

 800 per cent., the number of savings 

 banks increased almost in the same ratio, 

 the sums borrowed under two separate 

 conditions - by notes of hand and uuder 

 contract— increased by 400 and 800 per 

 cent., while the profits increased by 500 

 per cent. These facts show how enor- 

 mously the movement had encouraged 

 saving on the part of the people. In the 

 year 1894 the sum borrowed averaged 122 

 florins per member, as against GO florins 

 in 1889 ; but even this large sum was 

 augmented by the fact that "social 

 capital," as it is termed, was borrowed at 



the rate of IGO florins per member, as 

 against 80 florins borrowed in 1889. The 

 money in the savings banks represented 

 57 florins per member, as against 12, while 

 the " social capital " was raised from 19 

 to 37 florins. In the year 1894 the Central 

 Credit Institution of the National Co- 

 operative Association was established, and 

 development became still more rapid, the 

 number of societies increasing from 54 in 

 1889 to 379 in 1897. In the last-named 

 year t!^ million florins were borrowed for 

 the Central Institution, 2j million florins 

 were deposited in the savings bank, and 

 203,000 florins were actual profit. In 1895 

 225 bureaus, representing one or more 

 associations, were created ; in 18'.H) there 

 were 2(57 such establishments, and in 

 1897 there were 361 ; in the following 

 year (1898), of which full details are not 

 obtainable, the num))er during the first 

 six months was 160. In the year 1898 a 

 Mutual Credit Co-operative Society was 

 established for the kingdom by law, with 

 the result that in the following year 

 712 bureaus, representing new and old 

 societies, were affiliated, these representing 

 135,000 members and 14| million crowns 

 in capital. It is amazing that with such 

 facts before us, and with a knowledge 

 that co-operation is spreading in practi- 

 cally every Continental nation, we in 

 England do not take steps of a simila^ 



