The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-04-23
Kansas city star.

is the financial agent Fairhope, which
lies Just across the bay from Mobile,
Is the first and only single tax colony
IN the world. 1t has existed since
1895, and if it has not been heard Of
1T Is because it began very small and
has been content to grow slowly and
steadily turnout the seven years. The
five families with which 1t started have
increased to seventy-five, with q nu-
merOus quota of summer visitors from
Mobile and winter visitors from the
north In search of climatic changes.
Falrhope is probably the only cx-
listing specimen of a community seven
years old owning its water works,
wharf and steamer without penny
of interest bearing debt or foot OF
mortgaged land in the community.
The association at it's Inception,
started with the determination Of
either developing It's colony without
these customary adjuncts Of prosper
lty or else going down in the attempt.
By the terms Of its constitution the
association cannot contract any in
terest-bearing debt, and the terms Of
his contract prevent any occupant of
the land from putting a mortgage on
his holding. So that a1tho a number
of industries are now located at Fair
hope two lines Of business are con-
sptcuous by their absence-there Is no
g
No Railroad Facilities.
The significance Of this fact can
only be understood by comprehen-
tiles have been provided by the assoc
citation. There are no railroad facili-
ties in this region. All commercial
and passenger service is with Mobile
by boat. The first necessity was a
wharf, in order that the daily boat
service might touch at Fairhope. All
around the bay there was not vii
lage that owned its own wharf. All
were owned by private capital, the
earnings whereof went naturally into
private pockets.
The first settlers were all men OF
moderate means. The colony waa
started with the 5000 apiece put in
by five men as membership fees. No
wealthy single taxer offered to build
a wharf. In the emergency Mr.. Bel.
langee suggested that application Of
the Guernsey market house plan. This
is a scheme famous in all economic
histories, but so far as known no one
else has ever sought to reproduce the
ingenious idea by which the Guernsey
islanders built their market house.
Wharf certificates were printed
association, stating on their
face that they were good for a
certain amount of wharf fees on the
completion Of the wharf. Having no
money the association offered to pay
this scrip for labor. Enough men
to furnish the labor required. Store
keepers Of the colony, to whom the
scrip would be the same as money
upon the completion of the wharf,
took 1T on it's face value, so that 1t
was good for groceries and other COM
modities to the workmen. With this
scr1p-paid labor the pier was built,
stretching 1900 feet into the bay.
Fairhope was Immediately included
in othe boat service, when without the
wharf 1T would have had to wait years
for this accommodation. The mer-
chants and others immediately began
to use their accumulated scrip in pay
ment of the usual passenger and
freight wharf fees.
All the Scrip Redeemed.
In addition, as receipts increased,
the association called in the scrip and
redeemed it in money. It has now all
been redeemed, excepting that which
was lost or DESTROYED, or such as has
people had theirs framed or pasted it
away in scrap books; and should Fair
hope continue to develop as it has
done in the past, the little green GER
tificates may some day become as fa-
nous as those that put up the Guern-
sey market house.
This scrip issue was only matter
Of some $1,000, but when one consid-
ers that there were less than a dozen
families in the colony, and how heavi-
ly such g. bonded debt would have
weighed on so small and purely agri-
cultural community, he does not won
der that Participants regard their sim
pie scheme as something for an eco
nom1c solution. Besides paying for
itself and paying the wharfinger's SAL
airy, the wharf has yielded enough to
provide excellent public warehouses
and facilities for handling freight.
pier, the association adopted similar
plan, differing only in some details
for the construction Of the windmill
and tank which supplies free water for
the village. There was at first small
water fee, but pipes are one Of the
plans for the near future. Lighting
and telephone systems will come soon
after. The colony gets these things
slowly, but after 1t gets them it owns
them, and without any debt.
The distinctive feature Of the col
ony's policy is, Of course, it's system
of land tenure. The association owns
1,2O0 acres Of land, including the vii
lage site, on the beach, and running
back to farm lands in the rear,
Not a foot of this land has been or
will be sold. Holdings are rented on
ninety-nine-year lease. This elimi-
mates land speculation from the first
there being no inducement to rent and
hold land from which there is no op-
portunity to make a profit by selling
when values have increased. A man
who has improved his land may sell
his Improvements for anything he can
get-the association has nothing to
do with that-but he does not sell the
land.
The association simply changes ten
ants. The rents are based on the adj
yantages Of location, and range from
20 cents an acre per year for farm
lands in the rear, to $25 for business
lots in the center Of the village. The
effort made at all times is to so adj
just the rents as to equelize the adj
yantages of location.
Dissatisfaction and complaints have
arisen attimeS, but the association has
been able to meet them in such way
that the colony has grown, instead Of
going to pieces. From the rentals the
association pays first all taxes of all
tenants, except those on moneys and
credits. The remainder is applied to
the expense Of conducting the colony
and to furnish better roads, schools
and all sorts Of public service than the
colony would otherwise get. So that,
while each pays according to the adj
vantages which he commands each
enjoys the benefit of the whole rental.