GIPE-PUNE-OIIOI2 - DSpace@GIPE

142 THE "BANK CAPITALISM OF YOUNC. BENCiAL
etc. as cash in hand and at call, etc. In 1905 it was 27
per cent and in 1925, 25 per cent.
In regard to discounts, advances, etc. the lowest
watermark was reached in 1916 when only 46 per cent of
the deposits was employed for these purposes. In 1907
it was 63 per cent and in 1925, 59 per cent.
The total population of Great Britain and Ireland
(including the Isle of Man with its 60,238 inhabitants)
was 47,217,987. In 1925 the total assets of the British
banks made the figure of £3,179,089,259. This gives
£67-6-6 per head of the population. The tendency in
recent years is indicated as follows: £66-2-2 in 1922.
£64-16-2 in 1923, and £66-7-9 in 1924.
The Act of 1826 permitted the application of jointstock
principle to banking. In 1825 there were 554
private houses with 68 branches. In 1924 there were
only 2 private firms with 2 branches and 13 joint-stock
institutions possessing 8,080 branches.
This bird' s eye view furnishes indeed an idea of the
general lines of growth along which Bengali banks are
likely to move, should they happen to be destined for
a career of pro~ty.
The Central Ban"~ 01 India as an Example lor Young Bengal
While watching the Himalayan heights of Eur­
America and Japan we Bengalis should not however be
blind to the fact that for us it is {lot necessary to go outside
of India in order to cite the story of a banking institution
on a really large scale. Le~ving aside the branches of
foreign institutions, the so-called "exchange banks," we
may refer to the 100 per" cent Indian enterprise, the Central.
Bank of India, which haS" been fun