The organ of the Ministry of Agriculture today publishes extensive statistics with regard to the situation of the peasants and discloses that only 12 percent of the peasants’ indebtedness is owed to Jews, chiefly for goods purchased.
The majority of the Jewish merchants charge the peasants no interest for money due them. Sixty percent of the debts of the peasants, however, are owed to wealthy peasants who charge interest up to 300%.
The statistics made public by the Agriculture Department organ constitute a severe set-back to the agitation conducted among the peasants to the effect that their hardships are due to the exorbitant interest charged by Jewish money lenders.
The anti-Semitic agitators have charged that 87% of the peasants’ debts are owed to Jews.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.