The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1904-06-13

sleep packed half dozen or more in one
small room.
Yet in the United States there are sew
enteen hundred millions Of acres of land
unused
One acre of land, properly cultivated
would easily support human being. The
unused land in this country alone would
supply an acre of land and living for ev-
cry human being on the earth today, and
leave over three hundred millions of acres
for parks.
Nineteen thousand individuals own Man
haitian island-this includes all the little
property owners with one house only. To
these 10000 owners two millions of people
pay every year two hundred millions of
dollars in rents.
And New York differs only in degree
from every other city in the United States
Congested populations stife and starve for
want of room and access to the land, and
at the same time seventeen hundred mil
lions of acres are lying unused.
The salvation army for several years has
been doing all that it's limited means per-
NIT to put the landless man on the man
less land Its success has been most de
cided Three thriving colonies have been
established with people helped from the
congested cities and put on their feet IN
the country
Senator HOar has introduced a bill in
congress to organize a national colonial
ton bureau, in connection with the de-
partment of the interior, for the promo
ton of colonization on large scale.
The government OF New Zealand has
Jn,,,.r thinc 10,
In 1894 $l500O,000 was appropriated I'M
der the Advances to Settlers act to be
loaned to colonists in enabling them to be-
come established on farms.
The man who has neither land, money
nor experience in farming is carefully
"shepherded" by the New Zealand govern
ment is placed on the road making, for
est clearing, and general land improving,
till he has gained the necessary knowledge,
and is then helped to become a permanent
settler and home owner Under this en-
lightened tutilage the very tramp becomes
in few years taxpayer, and even during
the preparatory chrysalis stage meets all
the expenses of his Transformation, with
out being brought into competition with
outside labor.
Henry d. Lloyd thus summarizes the
work of these improved farm settle
ments." of New Zealand. whose special
object is the systematic employment and
training of the out-of-works, for whose
benefit civilization has elsewhere provided
nothing better than "poorhouses, jails and
patter's fields
There are 40 of these improved settle
ments. They cover an area of 1890 acres.
There were on them, at the last report,
5l3 land holders and 1854 residents. The
settlers had cleared l5,l4l acres of the
bush and had grassed 20,Sl4 They had
been advanced $2S6645, while the total
value of the improvements that had been
made by them was $40 $40 and they have
paid in rent and interest Sl3,2l0 yearly.
In addition to the settlement of farm
lands, this act enables the worldngman
in the town to acquire suburban lots and
gardens in the neighborhood of his work.
The loans granted by the government
can be either ON the installment or on
the fixed loan system. On the nstallment
plan mortgages are repayable by 70 half
yearly payments of principal and interest
combined. These amount to only three
pounds (Sl46O) per half year on each one
hundred pounds (S4S665l advanced. thu,
placing the payments within easy reach Of
the settler.
The success of the New Zealand coloni
cation system and of the salvation army
colonies in our own country gives a pree
edent for the founding of government col
onies in the United States. Senator Han
ma was greatly interested in the move