Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/377

t:'?A(lil?I(IE O? (10. OPEl?A?IO1V they were taken. The co-operative movement has doubtless succeeded in making a much larger supply of capital avafiable at cheaper rates of interest for the agriculture of the case. But it must which advances no means very 15 per cent. country than was previously the be remembered that the rate at are made by primary societies is by low, and works out at an average of Notwithstaading the rapid increase in the number of societies, the amoant of working capital, etc., the transplantation of co-operative principles has been disappointin?ly slow. The first co-operative act was passed in 1904. After fourteen years of official nursin? the movement has not advanced to the stage of bein? made over with confidence or any prospect of success to the people themselves. There are yet in fact no si?ns from within of any spirit of indepen: denco. The wind is blowing in altogether--to make the official the opposite direction control more detailed and more exacting with the accompanying demand for special privileges, the object being to guard the society ,[rom the dishonesty or surreptitious extravagance of 'its members. To-day if the offic?l patronage or even the official interest were to be withdrawn, I am not sure whether the co-operative movement too within a few years would not come to be regarded as one of the past glories of ancient India. The artificial health and constitutional weakness of the co-operative movement appear to lie in the fact that the most important work--the work of organising the primary societies?has to be done for the most part by the low-paid staff of central or district banks or by men provided by the co-operat/ve depart- mont. These pioneers themselves have but a faint understanding of the principles underlying the move- ment and are not always men of unexceptionable character. Tinny regard the work more as 'duty'