Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1907-05-13
COLOMBO JEWS ON FARMS.
Milwaukee Association Makes Effort
To Solve Ghetto Problem.

, To Solve Ghetto Problem.
So universal is the problem OF aid
ing the Jewish immigrant to adjust
himself to American conditions, OF re-
Ilieving the congested conditions OF the
Jewish settlements in large cities and
of preventing the rapid spread of tu-
berculosiS and nervous diseases, among
the race that the agricultural colony at
Arpin, Wis, now beginning the third
year of its experimental stage, is
center of far more than. local interest.
1t was founded in December, 1904, By
! the Milwaukee Agricultural associa-
ton, partially under the Jurisdiction
of the Industrial Removal Company OF
New York and with the financial
backing of the Baron De Hirsch fund
Eighteen 40-acre farms have been
carved out of the northtern Wiscon-
sin forest by eighteen Jewish fami-
lies from the crowded Jewish quarter
of Milwaukee. Under the supervision
Of salaried superintendent these nov
| ices at farming have raised two
successful crops in spite of the unusu-
ally adverse weather conditions dur
ing the first summer of the experiment.
and in the majority of instances have
made satisfactory payments on the
Hand contracts that will ultimately
give 5hem title to the ground.
| AZ w. Rich of Milwaukee is father
of the colony The idea was conceived
1by him, the New York workers indoors
ing the plan as he outlined it. An
unusual interest is now being taken
in this plan owing to the effort that is
being made to adopt a similar agri-
cultural colonization plan for the ltal-
ians.
/. The principal problem to be met
; in these schemes is the support of thu
Immigrants and their families during
sthe first year. Provision must BE-
made also for the necessary equipment
with which to- start the work and or
a system OF paying for the property
that will not be burdensome on ths
young farmers.
IL, AS the first step the Milwaukee
Agricultural association, composed of
well-to-do Jews of Milwaukee, incorpo-
rated It purchased 720 acres OF. cut
over timber land that was covered
with second-growth timber and I'M
dergrowth
J Then H. F. Roehrig. an experienced
farmer, was employed as superin-
tendent and ten families were selected
from the ghetto and sent out to cle3,
the ground and earn for themselves a
comfortable living and farm
For the first year each applicant for
farm was paid "a weekly wage, suf-
fcient to provide the necessaries of
life for his family. Fortunately the
land company of which the property
was purchased had two vacant houses
in the village of Arpin and it placed
these temporarily at the service of
the Milwaukee association rent free.
During the first year if the men
proved incompetent it was the under
standing there that they were to be
discharged and sent back to the city
So far potatoes and hay are the
principal crops attempted. At the out
set each farmer was given all The
necessary utensils for working his
farm, together with team of horses
and one or two cows. These things
were charged up to him and the ac
count was allowed to run with the uu-
derstanding that it was to be paid off
on the same terms as governed the
rauY1on+c FOR tho land
Az the end OF the first year cash
farmer was given land contract for
40 acres of land. he having been allow
ed it's use free of rental during the
year of adjustment. The association
had harvested his crop and sold 1t
and the amount of wages that had
been paid the farmer was deducted
from the sum realized from the sale.
This difference was credited as the
first payment on the land contract, the
terms of the contract providing that
the land is to be paid for within ten
years
The same plan of paying a weekly
wage and crediting the farmer with
the balance of his profits at the end
OF the season is followed after the first
year, but the land contract carries a
4 per cent interest on the amount un-
paid, it being believed that this proves
an icentive to industry and the raplo
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