Agricultural Finance & Co-operation. 322 



[October, 1911, 



with a weaving institute at Betgeri- 

 Gadag. It was anticipated that progress 

 in strengthening the economic position 

 of the weavers by including them to co- 

 operate would be slow, and important 

 results could not be expected for some 

 time to come. Government will con- 

 tinue to watch closely the progress 

 made. The increase from 7 to 10 in the 

 number of leather workers' societies is 

 satisfactory in view of the recommend- 

 ation subsequently made by Mr. Guthrie, 

 on whose special survey of the industry 

 Government have recently issued orders 

 thac the local leather workers should be 

 helped wherever possible by the form- 

 ation of co-operative credit societies. 



Grain Banks. 

 The Registrar has given some interest- 

 ing details regarding grain banks, in 

 which it appears that little progress has 

 been made. The matter is one which 

 should continue to receive attention and 

 to be dealt with in the annual report. 



During the year the amount loaned 

 for redemption of old debts was Rs. 

 40,000 or 8 per cent, of the total amount 

 given out on loans to members. These 

 are double the previous year's figures, 

 but represent an insignificant contri- 

 bution to the solution of a vast prac- 

 tical problem. No widespread improve- 

 ment can be expected until societies are 

 much more numerous than at present 

 and have the support of a Central Bank. 

 In the meantime it is most gratifying to 

 observe the success obtained in Mandvi 

 Taluka which has proved an unexpect- 

 edly favourable field for work in this 

 direction. 



The single registered society in Sind 

 continued to extend in resources and 

 activity, and has succeeded in attracting 

 money from losal capitalists. With the 

 registration of two more societies since 

 the close of the year and the contem- 

 plated establishment of two or three 

 more, it would seem that the co-operative 

 movement is at length likely to make 

 some progress in the province. 



MIDNAPORE CO-OPERATIVE 

 CONFERENCE. 



(From the Indian Agriculturist, Vol. 

 XXXVI. , No. 3, March 1, 1911.) 



Mr. Saroda Charan Mitter's Views. 



The Midnapore District Co-operative 

 Credit Conference began on the after- 

 noon of January 29. There was a large 

 attendance of local and non-official 

 delegates, and Messrs. Buchan, Regis- 

 trar, and J, Mitra, Assistant Registrar, 



Co-operative Credit Societies, Bengal, 

 were also present. Mr.W.A. Marr, C. S., 

 Collector of the District opened the pro- 

 ceedings and congratulated the pro- 

 moters on their success, and gave his 

 experience of what he had seen in the 

 interior of the district. 



Mr. Saroda Charan Mitter was elected 

 President. He said :— 



We have met here to compare the 

 amount of work done and progress made 

 during the last year by each of the 

 Co-operative Credit Societies in the dis- 

 trict, to provide for the maintenance of 

 uniformity in their working, and for 

 raising their general level by common 

 counsel. The object of this Conference 

 is, therefore, very important, and your 

 deliberations ought to be useful, not 

 only as a means of giving impetus to the 

 material progress of the district, but also 

 of other districts in Bengal. Midnapore 

 has, as it appears from your reports, 

 done excellent work under the fostering 

 care of the Registrar and AssistantRegis- 

 trar of Co-operative Credit Societies in 

 Bengal and of public-spirited volunteers, 

 and it ought to be a type for other dis- 

 tricts to follow. The village communi- 

 ties so useful at one stage of civilisation 

 did very good work, and now they have 

 died a natural death. The new stage of 

 things requires an organisation of a 

 different kind and of a wider scope. 

 The ideas that dominated village units 

 in days gone by have ceased to have 

 vitality, and new ideas of brotherhood 

 must replace them, working in a new 

 groove. 



Indebtedness op Artisans. 

 In a country mainly agricultural, as 

 India is, the economic problem most 

 difficult of solution is : How to remove 

 the general indebtedness of the artisans 

 and the agricultural population. Their 

 poverty is well known and its causes are 

 various, although it is generally ascribed 

 to the conduct of usurious money- 

 lenders; but the present condition of 

 India is not without a parallel in the 

 history of other countries. How did 

 the masses in these countries, heavily 

 burdened with debt, save themselves 

 from the condition of perpetual pau- 

 perism and became prosperous artisans 

 and peasants, the pride of their respec- 

 tive countries ? The usury laws could do 

 them no good— these laws were evaded 

 with impunity. The repeal of the usury 

 laws gave freedom of contract and tend- 

 ed to remove deceit and dishonesty ; but 

 it was not expected that the repeal would 

 better the pecuniary condition of the 

 borrowers. The repeal brought in India 

 worse evils, as I have repeatedly pointed 



