BRITISH LAND BANK.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1196, 3 August 1911, Page 5

BRITISH LAND BANK.

A BILL IN THE HOUSE OF LOKDS. lly TclesraDß—Press Association-Copyright (Eec. August 2, 9.20 p.m.) • London, August 2. Tho Agricultural Credit Bill, providing capital for small agriculturists, has been read a second time in the Houso of Lords. TO FINANCE' THE SMALL FAKMER. The establishment of credit banks for small holders was foreshadowed by Lord Carrington in a speech to the National Farmers' Union on August 4, 1910. Tho Government, he said, proposed to follow what had been satisfactorily done in Germany and other parts of Europe. He had been considering whether he could not devise a plan to lay before his colleagues to give improved legislative, administrative, and financial facilities for the establishment on a sound financial basis of a satisfactory system of co-operative credit banks for the benefit of agriculture. The Chancellor of the Exchequer ijiiw no objection to the proposal, and he was pleased to say that it had the warm approval of the Prime Minister. Provided, that there was no opposition from the other side, there ought to bo a reasonable prospect of doing something in this respect at an early date. The Government were backed up in this matter by the report of the Lords Committee, oil which such men as Lord Cromer, Lord Herschell, Lord MacDonncll, and Lord Welby had served and ' they were also emboldened by tho thought that this difficult question hnd been overcome in Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, and, to some extent, in Ireland. He was speaking under correction, but he bolioved that .£18,000,000 was lent by these banks last veav, and that villagers had deposited over JC15,000,000 of their, savings in this enterprise.