British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 349

CHAPTER IX. recovered except for £P.547 which was written off. In 1928 there was a crop failure in the northern district, and, to provide against the land being left fallow, or alternatively to avoid resort to money lending at usurious rates, loans amounting to £'P.19,366 were issued; £P.9,148 was recovered and the balance of £P.10,218 was written off.

90. From 1930 it has been necessary to provide short term credit annually, mostly for the purchase of seed grain, and from that year the rate of interest was reduced from 6!% to 5% per annum. To encourage terracing of the hills for soil conservation and the growing of trees, long term loans repayable over periods varying between three aud seventeen years were issued in 1935-1938 amounting to £P.33,098; these loans have been recovered except for a sum of £P.3,171.

91. The position in respect of loans issued in the period between the first and second world wars is summarised in the following table:-

I R . 1 Amounts Balance
Total out-
I loans ecoveriea . standing
issued lo 30.9.451 wn~~n al
30.9.1945
£P. £P. £P. £P.
Loans issued 1919-1923 576,319 548,227 26,814 1,278
Beersheba loans 1927 19,980 19,433 547 -
Northern District
loans 1928 19,366 9,148 10,218 -
Agricultural loans
issued in
1930-31 29,980 13,744 15,708 528
1931-32 17 ,137 12,528 4,581 28
1932-33 53,537 22,399 30,778 360
1933-34 57,259 23,109 33,797 353
1933-34 (for fodder) 20,720 2,534 17,575 611
1934-35 I 6,313 1,888 4,408 17
1935-36 4,988 841 4,106 41
1936-37 33,019 80,435 1,074 1,510
1937-38 - - - -
1938-39 - - - -
1939-40 28,855 27,508 816 SI
Hill development
loans 1935-1938 33,098 29,927 - 8,171
Miscellaneous; for bee- 4181
hives, seed and 5,850 I
destruction of field
mice. 7,268 995 TOTAL

J901.s34J747,571J15o,84o I• 8,923

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