568 



[December, 1908. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



LOANS TO PADDY CULTIVATORS. 



By Mudaliyar A. Dissanaike. 



In continuation of what I stated in my 

 last two papers to the Board of Agri- 

 culture on "The Village Cultivator and 

 Paddy Cultivation," it may not be out 

 of place for me to offer a few further 

 remarks on the subject, especially as the 

 Government has since sanctioned the idea 

 of giving practical aid and encourage- 

 ment in agricultural pursuits. In order 

 to prevent the people receiving in vain 

 any munificence which the Government 

 may offer for their benefit, and with 

 the view of inducing them to greater 

 exertion and activity, and to create in 

 them at the same time a sense of duty, 

 I would venture to suggest that the 

 Government should offer the benefits 

 of the loan to those distri«ts (Pattus or 

 Korales) where the principal inhabitants 

 are willing to form amongst themselves 

 Associations on co-operative and self- 

 supporting principles to carry on agri- 

 culture. If a limited number of well-to- 

 do men of the different villages of a 

 district make up a fund (say of about 

 Rs. 3,000, each of them contributing a 

 stated sum) and form themselves into a 

 Committee to administer the same, the 

 Government might well supplement the 

 same with a loan of an equal amount. 

 This would produce a sufficiently large 

 capital to give advances to the villagers, 

 so that there may be small credits " for 

 simple folks with simple needs." The 

 villagers who wish to avail themselves 

 of such help might be asked to join the 

 Association by making deposits of small 

 sums of money to their own credit. The 

 members who are the residents of the 

 different villages will be in a position 

 to recommend or bring in as many 

 villagers as are willing to be enrolled as 

 depositors, each paying an annual fee of, 

 say, about Rs. 2'40(i.e., at the rate of 20 

 cents a month). This money will be 

 accumulated to their credit and paid at 

 their deaths with profits to the surviv- 

 ing heirs of their families. The object of 

 such an arrangement will be to inculcate 

 habits of thrift and to teach the people 

 how to provide for their families. Con- 

 sidering the nature of the rural life of 

 very many of the villagers, such an ex- 

 pedient, I think, would be very con- 

 ducive to their well-being. I suggest 

 this scheme on the principle that help 

 should be given to those who help them- 

 selves, so that the vilagers and the 

 wealthy classes of a district may take 

 their part in the co-operative system. 



If the villagers who join the Associa- 

 tion for agricultural purposes amounting, 

 it may be, to several hundreds, will make 

 deposists annually or monthly to be 

 drawn at their deaths, this money added 

 to what is contributed as a nucleus by 

 the members together with the grant 

 out of the Government loan, will afford 

 means to give adequate advances to the 

 people at moderate interest for agricul- 

 tural purposes. 



In case of the death of any member, 

 his deposit with profits will be paid to 

 his heirs, and it will be necessary to 

 elect another member according to the 

 majority of votes of the other members. 

 These members who are the leading men 

 of the Association when formed into 

 a Committee, presided over by the Chief 

 Revenue Officer of the district, will 

 enjoy certain definite privileges. It will 

 be their duty to see that relief is granted 

 to the most deserving parties, and to 

 see at the same time that the money 

 is properly utilised and paid back to 

 the Fund. There may be wealthy persons 

 in a district who are ready to contri- 

 bute. The obligation of such persons 

 towards the poorer classes and those 

 who stand in need of assistance is so 

 clear, that no one who is able to con- 

 tribute to form a starting fund will 

 fail to take an interest in such a 

 generous act. They will know the 

 character of the borrower, and will be 

 able to guarantee the payment. 



The scheme will give large opportuni- 

 ties to those who require help in agri- 

 cultural works on their becoming sub- 

 scribers to the Association. As it would 

 at the same time assume the character 

 of a Provident Fund, it would teach 

 the men to lay by something for the 

 benefit of their families, and it would 

 thus be an arrangement to benfit those 

 who join the Association. 



Such a scheme as I have suggested 

 above would conduce to the better 

 utilisation of a fund created by the 

 recovery of one-tenth of the produce of 

 of paddy-fields when it is collected as 

 a cess on the part of the cultivators 

 for making improvements in paddy 

 cultivation, and for paying the field- 

 headmen, which could not be effected 

 by means of loans. 



The yearly accretions derived from the 

 recovery of the tithe of paddy-fields on 

 behalf of the cultivators cannot but 

 prove to be very advantageous to them 

 and promise a good return. Such a 

 fund will be helpful in many other 



