New-York tribune., 1906-07-04
GOVERNMENT LAND BILL.
Partial Concessions Made to the
Peasants Demands.

St Petersburg, July 3-The governments
agrarian bill has finally been approved intro
duced in the lower house of parliament and pub
lished in SThe Official Messenger" accompanied
by a sort Of proclamation to the peasants glori-
flying the Emperor's constant solicitude for the
peasants 1t attempts to show that the realiza-
tion of socialist schemes for the national owner
ship Of land. instead of improving the lot of the
peasants, would result in inevitable misery. as
the distribution of all the arabic state lands in
European Russia would give each peasant less
than one additional deciatne, which would be
subject TO constant diminution owing to in
creases in the population. and, besides, would
deprive the peasants Of the opportunity of OBJ
tanning work from the landlords from whom
large percentage of their income is derived. The
government bill contains the following PROPOSE
ton:
First-To distribute upon favorable terms
all the arabic land in European Russia to the
peasants who have not sufficient land.
Second-To purchase for the account of the
state the land which private owners willing
TO sell.
Third-To sell such lands to the peasants on
reasonable terms even if this should involve the
assumption by the state OF the difference in
the cost and the selling price
Fourth-To establish the principle that
as well as old peasants lands cannot be sold to
persons not belonging to the peasant class be-
sides exempting the land from seizure for debt
Ftfth-To assist emigrants to reach Siberia
and Central Asia, and to help them in installing
themselves there, not only by allotments of
land. but by the building Of government roads.
SiXth-To make arrangements for the sale Of
the lands which the emigTants leave behind
them for the benefit of these emigrants the
rigorous improvement of agriculture correcting
the inequalities in plots of land, etc. and the
right OF the distribution OF the lands severally
where desired.
The statement accompanying the publication
of the governments bill gives figures to prove
that the peasants dream that a complete dis
trfbutiOn would give ample land to all is falla-
cious European Russia, it IS pointed out, con-
tains 3SO,OO0O00 deciatines. of which 1O5 600 900
belong to the five northern provinces and are
unsuitable for agriculture OF the remainder
56,O00,OOO decatincs are forests the preserva-
ton Of which is absolutely necessary leaving
153.0O0,OOO. OF that. III 100000 now belong to
the peasants 91.OOO,OO0 being obtained at the
time OF the emancipation Of the serfs and 49,
100000 being privately owned. Thus, all the
land OF the State. Church, crown and gentry
amounts to 100000 deciatines, while there are
more than 4O,000,000 peasants.
After reviewing many acts Of the Russian
as the emancipation Of the serfs and the estab-
nshment OF peasant banks, the statement denies
that the government is opposing appropriation
in the interest OF the landlords who, 1t says,
could convert their land into cash. and con-
cludes with an expression of the vital necessity
of maintaining the rights of property as being
the foundation OF the state present and future