The San Francisco call., 1897-03-26
HOMES FOR
THE POOR
Progress of the Salvation
Army's Colonization
Scheme.
WINCHELL'S SEARCH FOR
FARMS.
Unemployed to Be Given a
Chance to Earn an Honest
Living.
SOCIALISM'S DREAM MAY BE
REALITY.
Every Penniless but Worthy Ean
May in Time Own His Own
Home and Be Happy.
SOCIALISM'S DREAM MAY BE
REALITY.
Every Penniless but Worthy Ean
May in Time Own His Own
Home and Be Happy.

Commander Booth-Tucker has left by
way of Portland to complete the remain
der of his tour around the world, leaving
the Salvation colony project in the hands
of Major William Wallace Winchell and
his associates. The major will be assisted
in his work by Hugh Craig of the Cham
ber of Commerce and George E. Butler, a
prominent California insurance
man, but of benevolent instincts. These
two gentlemen have appoin ted commit
tee of rifteen business men. This com nit
tee will be an advisory one and will con-
slider the practicsbility of the colony plan
of making homes for the unemployed.
Mr.. Butler has not yet notified them OF
their appointment, and for that reason
cannot make their names public. as some
of them may decline the honor.
Mr.. Butler talked favorably of the plan
yesterday. He had found that a similar
plan worked well IN Scotland and Ireland,
where a family supported itself on from
ten to twenty-five acres OF poor land in
a poor climate. He believed that the time
was ripe to try the experiment in Califor-
mia. II it should not prove 10 be success
no harm would be done, because the land
would still rem ain and perhaps be all the
better by reason OF its having been culti-
.vated. On the other hand, if it should
prove to be = success 1t would go ve-y far
toward solving the problem. What shall
we do with The unemployed ?'
With the com parison so largely in
favor of California" added Mr.. Butler,
(which can be made with those countries
where large numbers OF people support
families on small tracts of land, much of
it far from fertile, and with anything but
desirable climatic conditions, it seems
IL hn g
settling worthy and reliable unem pioyed
persons on ten-acre lots in this State. If
it can be shown that living can be OBJ
tained for families from the soil the worst
feature of the present problem of the un-
employed is thereby solved"
Mrs. Winchell, wife of the major, was
busy all day yesterday reading letters
from different parts of the State offering
tracts of land for the colony. One Of these
offers was a tract of 2270 acres four miles
from Windsor, in Sonoma County, at 81
per acre, half cash and the remainder at s
per cent. Another was of 900 acres near
Cazadero, hunting and fishing resort,
where there is enough redwood tim Der to
keep the unemployed at work for thou
SAND years grubbing stumps. Other
patches OF land assessed at SIS were Of
fered at $50 per acre. Major W Wlnchell and
the committee know something about
land values, and the scale OF prices will be
materially reduced before any purchases
are made.
Salvation Army people are pointing
with pride to the Hadley farm of 1900
acres on the Thames, thirty miles from
London. Pork and poultry are the prin-
cipal products, and the farm has been a
great success.
Major Winchsll spent the greater part
of yesterday in going over the suburbs
searching for vacant tracts of land which
might be useful as the preliminary train
ing ground for the Salvation Army agri-
cultural and horticultural college. He
found south ana west of the IngIeside