The Washington times., 1910-01-31
WOULD USE ALIENS
TOFIGHT HIS PRICES
Advocated Legislation TO In
duce Foreign LaborerS TO
Buy Farm Land

NEW YORK Jan %--Lajos Steiner,
OF rhe New York department Of acrj-
culture believes that through IegisIa-
ton -isidIv. enforced the farm lands OF
this State could be made again to Yield
sfnIndartly and thus contribute ma
ceriaIIy 70 the solution Of the high cost
OF living.
IN an interview Mr.. Steiner declared
that fully $50, O90000 are sent every. year
10 Europe for the purchase of lands
there by alien wOrkmeu who earn
wages IN the United States and invest
their savings in the Old World instead
OF IN this country He would have the
Legislature enable the New York immi-
grafton bureau TO induce foreign labor
CTS here 20 buy up the abandoned farm
lands Of the State and settle on them
instead Of returning TO Europe
He charges that there is a large num-
Der Of small banks IN this city conduct
ed by foreigners whose chief business
IS the investment IN European lands Of
the savings Of the '-remisrants,' as nc
calls them
To Aid immigration
NJ. Steiner said: "a State depart
1neut OF immigration should be estab-
Ilshed az once. empowered 10 supervise
foreign banks that are exporting the
savings Of immigrants and selling them
cheap steamship passage back 10 Eu-
rope. II should also provide for mi
nutely informing peasant 1rurnl grants the
great majority Of whom come from the
farms In Europe. Of land values and
locations IN this state. and thereby as.
sist them 10 ind good homes and 10
help them TeoCCUpy the abandoned and
fruitful farms OF New I OrlE- The num-
Der OF reui grants exceeds 20 per cent
Of all arrivals or about 10000 every
drain OF our money resources as well
as strain upon our productive ca
paCiry agTicuituTally- The influx OF
American money through this source
has caused great Increases IN European
land values.
These 'remiErants' do not know THAI
improved farms can be acquired IN New
4oFk Tor rom SO 70 So an acre II
thus class OF immigrants only knew how
Tu5tC D. cheaper they could buy farm
amos here than In Europe, 7 have no
agouoE they would invest all their saw
1ngs here
Cooperation
To accomplish the highest results II
IS indispensable that Congress should
cooperate with the State by creating
postal savings banks. In nearly all
civilized countries but OUTS such frstf-
have proved OF IurstimabIe value
In this country we have tens Of mil
lions Of people. both native and foreign
noru. who would use ne postal SAVINGS
nzuk- II would especially appeal to the
immigrants 7 have I'm mind They are
used 70 postal savings banks at home
II they had them here, they would feel
safe In depOsitiuE their savings with
them After the deposits were made
then they would look around for farms
Our ConsuIs, especially at Hungarian.
Itslian. and Slav posts. should iuvestl-
gate and report details Of what be
comes OF the enormous amounts OF
money that annually are exported in
small installmeutS by hundreds Of thou
sands Of immigrants here as vel as
the fate Of these remiETauts. The
information should be published broad
cast IN different languages. II would
help To keep both the immigrants and
their savings "a the United States for
the rehabilitation Of our farms. the
Improvement of the Immigrants and
national betterDeut generally