Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/496

 4?8 B. B. E WBNE 101,000 members and s working capital of 72 lakhs. On November 80th this number had risen to about 1,600 but the increase in their membership and capital is still unknown. These 1,890 societies were support and partially financed by 10 .central banks controlling a working capitl c&pitl available societies per head are in nearly all of 42i lakhs. The average working to the members of. agricultural societies was Rs. 71 only. These cases situated in villages, and are composed of working agriculturalists, holding their lands on the ryotwsri tenure, and of village artisans ministering to the needs of agriculture. The monsoon of. 1{}18 has failed generally and it appears that except in eight districts, vhere the crops have been poor to fair, and in certain irrigated tracts, famine conditions are likely before long to be established throughout the whole Presidency. nile the situation is still obscure and developing, is impossible to judge precisely how the fae it will ultimately affect co-operative societies and banks. This paper is merely an results and to consider how is likely to reset to them. Since the co-operative movement was first 1904 no severe or wide-spread famine has stability in any part of India. Local (urat northern parts of the United and 1918-1914 respectively, been explored by the Oommittee on attempt to forecast its the co-operative system initiated tested famines and the in its have indeed been experie. nced in Provinces in 1911-1912 and their effects have Co-operation. From the statistics collected by them, that Committee observed that repayments of loans were much delayed slightly contracted. receipts and with- and the grant of. new loans was The effects o! the famine on the drawsIs of deposits were found to be inconsiderable. They held that the assistance of. societies, supple-