Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-07-22
THE BRITISH CRISIS
- The Agricultural Depression
BY
Frederic
]. Hask,r


pauper who is protected and, perhaps,
encouraged, by the law.
Both Liberal and Conservative party
leaders deplore the existing conditions
and suggest remedies. The trouble is that
neither party is willing 10 go to the root
Of the evil by breaking up the large land
holdings and by preventing further re-
tirement of arabic land for the use of
game preserves and deer forests. Mr..
Chamberlain believes that the agricultur-
al depression is due to free trade, and he
suggests that a customs duty be levied
on wheat and other farm produce. to pro-
tect IT from the free competition of Amer
lean and Argentine breadstuffs. To meet
the objection that this would force the
country back into the terrible condition OF
the hungry forties" when the corn laws
starved thousands upon thousands of
people to death, a system of colonial pref
erence is suggested, whereby wheat and
, similar products from Canada, Australia
and other British colonies would be ad
mitted under a preferential duty. The
objections to protective tariff duty on
wheat for a country which now grows
less than one-fourth of it's breadstuffs,
and whose production is decreasing, are
obvious, but the free traders find II diff
cult to combat the colonial preference
propaganda
The Liberals propose some relief by
their small holdings act, under which
thus far total Of $500 acres has been
purchased and 1900 acres hired, by local
municipal councils to be let for life to
small holders. But as yet this relief is
miserably inadequate.
/ The Conservative party blazed the way
in Ireland. In the language OF Sir Hor-
ace Plunkett: There rs going to be a
revolution in British agriculture such as
long has been in process in ireland, where
the best proof of its vitality is that it
has survived the bitterest political oposi-
tion." In Ireland the government provid-
ed for advancing money to tenants with
which to buy small holdings, and at the
same time 1t compelled the landlords to
sell. But the leaders Of the Conservative
party have not advocated, nor have they
approved even in principle, the adoption
of such radical and rigorous measures for
the home country. They know quite well
that the serious undertaking Of such a
reolution would result In the wreck of
their party.
Even where 1t is possible to secure
chase, there is no provision for the ex-
tension of credit to enable ...e small
farmer to buy. He cannot mortgage
the land, as he would do in the United
States; there is no credit bank to aid
him as in Ireland: there is no agricuItu-
i raj bank to loan to him on his personal
paper, as in Germany; there is no pro-
vision whatever to enable 444m to take
advantage of the few opportunities
hi oh MI
fondness for compromise cripples eff
forts to secure remedial legislation, and
the government, declining to organize a
credit system to make the deposits in
the postal savings banks available for
agricultural loans, compromised by vot-
ing subscription of $4,000 a year to
; the support of a voluntary society called
! THE Agricultural Organization society,""
formed for the purpose of helping ten
ants to get money to LILY land. This
society meets, discusses and resolves,
but as it has no money OF it's own and
! no money from any banking institution.
J its practical accomplishments are nil.
In spite Of all the talk about the ag-
ricultural depression, in spite of all the
preaching from the text back to the
/ land" the British government does alb
solutely nothing to encourage the farm
er. Alone of all the civilized nations Of
: the world Great Britain does not possess
a single agricultural experiment sta
ton. And yet in Ireland the experiment
i stations have done wonders right under
! the eyes of England.
| 1t must not be thought that the Eng
| fish farmer is ignorant. In the time Of
Queen Elizabeth he succeeded in raising
i IA bushels of wheat to the acre. That
was before the United States was set
| tied, and the American farmer today.
raises only IA bushels of wheat to the
! acre against 33 bushels to the acre
produced by the Englishman. 1t is not
that the English farmer is Incompetent,
! 1t is not that he is indolent, 1t is not
that he is ignorant, but 1t is that he IS
not independent. Give him his own land,
break up the game preserves and re-
store the deer parks to the dominion Of
the pillow, provide him with opportunity
! to secure working capital and release
him from social and personal bondage
, to the lord OF the manor, and ..Ie Eng
fish yeoman will prove himself as val
J liant and as effective in the bloodless
battles OF the age of industrial prog
ress as he did. under Cromwell in the
revolution.