The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-01-05
COLONIES FOR WORK.
European Countries Provide Means to
Aid the Unemployed.

A bulletin dealing with reports on
the problem of the unemployed In
various European countries has been
issued by the Bureau of Manufactures,
Washington. 1t tells particularly OF
the establishment of several labor col
onies. The bulletin says:
"The largest experiments in this
line were made in the Netherlands,
northeast of the Zuyder Zee, where
three colonies have been establishe,.
\ They were first suggested just after
the battle of Waterloo, thousands Of
families having been reduced to pow
erty by war. Philanthropic persons
secured tracts of land on which such
families were domiciled and encourag.
ed to work the SOIL This experiment
proved so successful that the State
urged the society operating it to take
charge of beggars, foundlings, and or
ed for them; but this experiment did
not succeed, and these colonies were
| taken over by the State.
Germany has several labor colon
les. Luherheim, not far from the
Dutch frontier, is considered the best,
1t was founded about twenty years
ago, on poor land costing $40 per acre
The colonists are employed during the
| farming season in cultivating the
land; in the winter, many are hired
by neighboring land owners for varf-
Gus purposes. Stock is also raisei in
this colony, the sale of which makes
a considerable revenue.
| Belgium has three labor colonies,
situated on sandy plain about thirty
miles from Antwerp. They have con,
verted wilderness into farms, wood
lands, and gardens. One of the colon.
les is for the aged, imbecile, and in
firm, another for persons whose pow
erty has come from circumstances be.
yond their control; the other for able
bodied bsggars, Migrants, and Grim,
inals The population of the three
colonies is over 5000. The colonists
work not only at agriculture, but in
-four, brick, soap, pearl button, beer,
leather and other factories
| Progress is being made in Eng
land along similar lines. The move
ment was begun ten years ago by the
Christian Union for Social Service,
the leading spirit of which society was
a Congregational minister of Noting.
ham, though clergymen and Bishops
of the Established Church are among
It's officers. Two colonies were estab.
lished-one at Crook, in Westmore-
land, the other at Lingfeld, in Surrey.
'Lingfield, the larger colony, has a
farm of $50 acres and accommodation
at present for about sixty men. In ad.
! dition, this colony extends it's benefi.
cent work to epileptic children, for
4 100 of whom it has accommodations,
| including school. The reports rem
dered show that all the epileptic chill
dren are either improved or their con.
dition ameliorated, while some are
entirely cured, though true epilepsy is
generally supposed to be incurable.
1.-The men at Lingfield work at var
ious trades, at market gardening, and
at farming. Fifty or sixty are receiv,
| ed and leave each year. The latest
| published report shows that, in the
| preceding year, OF "a men who left
Lingfield, we're dismissed, were
sent to lunatic asylums, 8 were re.
turned to those who sent them to the
colony, IL absconded, 6 went In search
of work, went to situations in Can
ada, and Is went to situations in this
country. This indicates the general
yearly average.
"Of about 500 men passing through
the colony since It's foundation, about
80 per cent. have been rehabilitated
and put into the direct way of earning
their living. These men come, IN
some cases, voluntarily to the colony,
others are sent by charitable and re-
ligious societies, others by municipal
guardians of the poor, and some ara
professional tramps. The latter are
not encouraged, but in few cases
they have apparently been redeemed
Some of these men were drunkards,
some Respondent bankrupts, others
physical wrecks-in all instances
broken and destitute, with no outlook
in life and burden to others.
mot one among the hundreds sent
to Lingfield was at the same time So
Der, healthy, skillful, young, and in.
| dustrious. Guardians of the poor, in
particular make it rule to send only
their apparently hopeless cases. To
give health, hope and employment to
one-third of such wrecks of humanity
is certainly a gratifying record. ne
lapses are to be expected, but so far
none are publicly reported.
Money In Pidgeons.
At the auction at the poultry show
at Belle Vue, sensible, and even cute
persons were contending with one an
other to give thirty, forty and fifty
pounds for pidgeon. An Urmston
gentleman said he had paid seventy.
five pounds for bird of the Dragon
variety, and in three years he dis
posed of progeny from 1t for hun
dr1l on6 dPtxr nOY1u6c aud than cold