ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with the financial aspect, and must leave the provision of housing. An indication of the complexity of financial organization is afforded by the growth of accountancy. It seems that the "profession originated in Scotland. The opening of Stock Exchanges in Glasgow and in Edinburgh facilitated investment and speculation. The interest of the stock market was definitely deflected from the debts of home and foreign Governments to the securities of private companies. The investment of "foreign" capital was no novelty in Scotland, as the well-known instances of the "Darien Scheme" and the York Buildings Company sufficiently demonstrate. The evolution of financial technique permitted the holding of shares in industrial concerns by non-resident investors. Two types of enterprise, of some importance as media of investment and in other respects, call for notice. These are: the Building Society and the Insurance Company.
