The San Francisco call., 1898-01-06


 tinct, to the number of 5000 l am told' crndelv nracticed the arts of cultiva- +ion under the direction of the Fathers of the Soledad Mission. At the thought the eyes pierce the vista of eucalyptus sentinels to the south, and in the back ground only a short distance away rise the ruins of an architecture lO5 wears old-all there is left of the an cient mission and the work of Its nioneers. Such is the reminder that one age of civilization bequeathes to a newer one on this beautiful Romle mesa.
 ~- The 500 acres, with orchards and inn movements. Is passed over to the col ony incorporation, to be paid for at SEQ m acre in ten years on the install ment plan. This obligation is as- stunned by the company, which is capi- talized at Sl00,0o0. Against the loans secured within this amount the trus- tees issue certificates, at optional rates of interest ranging between and Der cent per annum, interest and in stallment to be paid annually after the full amount of capitalization has been procured Four of the trustees are chosen from among the principal sub =. who stands as sponsor for the honesty and sincerity of the undertaking, Is the fifth.
 The charge to each holder of a lot is the $50 original acreage cost per acre. He is to pay the trust this amount on the annual installment plan. He re- ceives at the outset from the company, for his first years help. a cottage worth $125, outfit $50. and loans as absolutely required for his mainte- nance, to the amount of $200 These he likewise is to refund in installments, with interest. On the part of the as- sociation, it is required of the settler that he pay in to the trustees a regu- lar weekly installment of S1 50, mak ing s75 annually, and the interest on his indebtedness. From this forced payment a sinking fund Is created against the liquidation of the capital investment.
 The process, in short, will make of the trust a sort of repository for the funds of the colony. and place it in a position to control the communal finances. Of course the purpose is to exercise this control for the common welfare. The foregoing basis of cal culation, though described as for one person. is really for a family of five Accepting 1t as of sound promise it demonstrates, according to Booth Tucker, that the $50, ,0000 900 now ex- pended annually in loosely administer ing to city charities, if invested on his plan now about to be put on trial at Fort Romie, would furnish self-sup- ing homes for 100000 families. compris- ing in the aggregate a half million per sons, at present helpless and destitute It should be stated that of the S50,- GOO, or half the capitalization needed immediately for the carrying on of the Fort ROmie undertaking, something less than 5000 has been secured. Of > this amount $500 was donated. '-- The system Is neither visionary nor new. It is copied and slightly amend ed on the lines of cooperation. from the Raiffeisen plan of loan association. carried on for fifty years in Germany and initiated later throughout Europe. without having a single failure record ed against it. As an investment it is held to be safe and beneficent for capi- tai to make according to all human ex- perience.
 Major w w. Winchell will manage the affairs of the colony as the repre- sentative of the association The keeper of the cooperative store will serve as secretary. Adjutant W. H. Wood will be superintendent of agriculture, aided by Captain Simpson, an expert, as in- structor. These men are especially se- lected for fitness
 It is not yet decided what will be the policy as to cultivation, although it is pretty well understood that at least two acres of each ten-acre allotment will be devoted yearly to the cultiva- tion of sugar beets, which will be sal able to the immense sugar works al- most at the very threshold of the col ony. With the care to be given such limited land holdings under experienced direction, it is estimated that the prod. uct will average for each settler forty tons an acre, which. at S4 ton, would mean an annual income for him ot sS20 The high average of product and quality would be maintained by alter mating the beet acreage with cerea, crops for the support of dairy cattle and chickens. A certain part of eact lot will be devoted perennially to al falfa. Small orchard space will also bc provided for
 /~ In the heart of the townsite will bs the cooperative store, at which col onists are to receive coupons indicat ing the amounts of their purchases Quarterly an accounting will be mad, by the storekeeper to the trustees. anC they will declare a dividend. on whicl each colonist is to share according |, the relative amount of his purchase. a, shown by the coupon stubs. Saloon. are not to be tolerated within the linn its of the settlement, and settlers pat ronizing any that may be planted out side to bait or lure them will do so a the peril of expulsion from the colony This contingency is provided for i, the individual contract entered into be tween the colonists and the trust as sociation.
 Good moral conduct and honesty o dealings are further stipulated a the sine qua non to the benefits ant membership of the settlement.
 Four hundred applications for ad