The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-10-25
FARM COLONY FOR OUT OF
WORK.
a London Experiment in Helping
the Citys Unemployed.

NNh = unemployed were EAbJFtANl "
a searching examination yesterday af-
ternoon when members OF the Central
| CUnemployed) Body for London and
representatives OF all shades OF poll
tical opinion from boards OF guardians
| ana borough councils attended the
flower show at the Hollesley Bay
farm colony, near Melton, in Suffolk.
The estate, comprising 1900 acres,
which is now the municipal property
OF London ratepayers, has been re-
claimed from the waste land that
surrounds il for many miles. and has
been found admirably adapted for
| agricultural pursuits, says the Lon
don Morning Post The first batch of
men arrived in February, 1905, and
from then up TO June, 1907, iii men
| nave entered the colony. The men
were selected through the various dis
tress committees; the qualifications
! were that they must be married, OF
! good character and resident in Lon
/ don for at least six months, and pref
erence was given to men likely TO
ADAPT themselves TO country life. The
/ average length OF residence upon the
| colony has been ten weeks, and the
average weekly payment TO the fam
lily OF each man has been II shillings
. pence. Gardening is the staple in
dustry, the gardens comprising about
lO3 acres, Of which nearly seventy
acres have been planted with fruit,
there being 10000 fruit trees on the
estate. Then there is the farm. pri-
marily sheep farm, nearly 600 acres
being arabic 1t is intended mainly
for the emigration men, who are
taught milking, butter making and the
general management of stock The
works department includes a range
OF workshops, for farmers, black
smiths, carpenters, joiners, painters
and plumbers. Other subsidiary in
dustries are bee keeping and house
building.
At present the colony is in rather a
critical condition. The object of the
governing committee is to train men
TO be practical farmers, men who will
remain permanently on the soil Ac-
cordingly they wish to institute a sys-
TEN Of small holdings to be worked on
cooperative lines. Each man was to
have a cottage and five acres, of which
three acres were to be devoted to gar
dening. That would involve the erec-
ton of at least fifty cheap cottages,
costing about GAO each, suitable for
occupation by the men and their fam
lilies when they were being trained to
be farmers and then the erection of
twenty-five cottages suitable for those
who were ready to embark upon small
holdings, but at present there are on
ly twelve such cottages and the local
government refuses to allow any addi-
tions TO that number. Further, it pro-
hibits any man from staying upon the
colony longer than sixteen weeks.
The result, according to Bolton Smart,
the superintendent of the colony, is
that his work to great extent is
handicapped.
The prizes were distributed in
marquee by Miss Baker, Of the Cen
trail (UnemployedD Body. The ex-
hibits were all of high quality. The
vegetables were, perhaps, the finest
feature of the show; there were some
pretty specimens of pot plants, and,
considering the fact that the soft
fruits are now departing and the hard
fruits have not yet appeared the fruit
exhibition was very fair. The prizes
were divided among the happy twelve
who live with their families in cot
tages and till their own garden plots.
In view of their tanned countenances,
their healthy physique and their gen
eral air of stoldity, which the soil
usually impresses on her sons, 1t was
difficult to believe that year ago
these bucolc farmers were tramping
the streets of London in sheer destl-
tuition. One prize winner in particu-
lar regarded his exhibits with the pro-
fessional eye Of an Andrew Fairser-
vice. A year ago he was disconso-
late butcher in Stoke Newington.
st. Pancras clerk was declared hrst In
the growing of salads, and bakers s
roundsman showed special skill in the
matter of pot plants. Before these
men came TO the colony they knew
absolutely nothing about horticulture.
AS for the other men, the impression
one gathered was that they were per-
fectly willing to remain on the SOIL
IL they could only obtain a permanent
footing. They seemed to like the col
ony but they missed their wives and
children and they felt the insecurity
OF their position.