868 



Credit Banks in Austria. 



[FEB., 



members of the Society. The operations of the Societies are 

 limited to small areas, usually a village or commune, so that 

 the personal character and circumstances of applicants for 

 loans may be known to the Committee. Perhaps the essen- 

 tial difference between the Schulze-Delitzsch and the 

 RaifTeisen Societies rests on the fact that in the former definite 

 security for a loan is required, in the latter the personal 

 security of the borrower and two other members is accepted. 



The total number of registered Credit Banks of all kinds in 

 1907 was 8,477, of which 1,958 were limited liability societies, 

 and 6,519 were unlimited liability societies. There were in 

 addition 66 unregistered societies. The extraordinary growth 

 which has taken place in recent years may be judged from the 

 fact that the number of societies has much more than doubled 

 during the past ten years, the figures in 1897 showing 1,243 

 limited liability and 2,258 unlimited liability societies, or a total 

 of 3,501. Full particulars as to the working of these banks 

 are not available for a year later than 1902, when an exhaus- 

 tive enquiry into the subject was made,* though figures 

 relating to certain points for the year 1904 have recently been 

 issued. f The relative importance of the different types of 

 society may be judged from the following figures : — 







Number. 



Number of Members. 



1890. 



1904. 



1890. 



1904. 



Schulze-Delitzsch Societies, 



with 











limited, liability 





769 



1,634* 



312,661 



821,807 



Schultze-Delitzsch Societies, 



with 







unlimited liability 





538 



578 



279,939 



347,944 



RaifTeisen Societies 





182 



4,577 



9,670 



504,589 



* In 1902. 



Raiffeisen banks were only introduced into the Austrian 

 Empire in 1886, and the favour with which they have been 

 received is clear from the rapid growth they have made since 

 that date. 



* Statistik der Registrierten Kreditgenossenschaften fur 1902 (published in 

 1906). 



i Ostcrrcichisches Statistisches Handbuch, 1907. 



