1920.] 



Agriculture Abroad. 



183 



should be devoted to increasing the efficiency of the agricultural 

 colleges, and certain allocations were accordingly made under 

 the Act for this purpose. In each province except Saskatchewan 

 this preliminary grant was devoted to building, extension and 

 improvement of the colleges. 



In 1 91 3-14 the original Act was superseded by the Agricul- 

 tural Instruction Act. The policy of assisting the agricultural 

 colleges has been continued, aijd a number of colleges and 

 schools have been erected in the various provinces participating 

 under the new Act. Since the passing of the Agricultural 

 Instruction Act a total sum ot $1,890,143 (/393>78o at normal 

 rate of exchange) has been allotted to the colleges and schools of 

 these provinces. 



* * * * * 



A REVIEW was published in the International Review of 

 Agricultural Economics for March last of a note communicated 

 by M. A. Laugel to the annual general 

 Agricultural Credit ^^^^ing of the Societe d'Economie Sociale 

 m Alsace-Lorraine. , ^ , . . . 



on the subject of co-operative credit m 



Alsace-Lorraine. The information it contains furnishes an 

 interesting example of the system of agricultural banks which 

 has become popular in certain parts of the Continent to provide 

 credit facilities to deserving rural workers who may be handi- 

 capped in their farming operations owing to lack of capital. 



About the year 1880, it was decided to establish an agricul- 

 tural credit bank of the Raiffeisen type in Alsace-Lorraine. 

 The object of these banks, as is generally known, is to encourage 

 the wealthier section of the rural population to place money 

 on loan on good security, for the use of farm workers who 

 may be in need of temporary financial assistance, to enable 

 them to extend their farming operations. 



Very satisfactory results attended the first years of the move- 

 ment. Country districts were able to free themselves from the 

 practices of usury wdiich had been preying on them, and the 

 system of credit w^as placed on a more healthy basis. The 

 Raiffeisen banks were unlimited societies, and their members 

 had tlius-an interest in watching the progress of their business 

 and trusting only in men on whom they could rely. 



With the development of this s^'stem of credit, federations 

 of banks were formed which grouped themselves into larger 

 units. Just as in the initial stages of tlie movement the more 

 wealthy villagers lent monev to the poorer inhabitants, so it 

 gradually became the practice for the banks with the largest 



