El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-07-19
Ubiquitous Land Laws Cause
Agricultural Depression
XIV.-THE BRITISH CRISIS.


hapS, 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 to go to
the root of the evil by breaking up the
large land holdings and by preventing
I further retirement of arabic land for
the use of game preserves and deer
forests. Mr.. Chamberlain believes that
the agricultural depression is due TO
free trade, and he suggests that Gus
toms duty be levied on wheat and other
farm produce to protect 1t from the free
competition OF American and Argentine
breadstuffs-
To meet the objection that this
would force the country back into the
terrible condition of the hungry for
ties" when the corn laws starved thous-
ands upon thousands of people TO
death, q system of colonial preference
is suggested, whereby wheat and similar
products from Canada, Australia and
other British colonies would be admit
ted under a preferential G-ty. The OBJ
jectiOns TO a protective tariff duty on
wheat for country which now grows
less than one-fOurth of its breadstuffs.
and whose production Is decreasing,
are obvious. but the Tree traders find
1t difficult to combat the colonial pref
erence propaganda
The Liberals propose some relief by
their small holdings act, under which
thus far total of $500 acres has been
purchased and $4,000 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 Horace Plunkett: There is going TO
~ 81, We
such as long has been in process in
Ireland, where the best proof of its
vitality is that it has survived the BIT
terest political opposition" In Ireland
the government provided for advancing
money TO tenants with which TO buy
small holdings, and at the same time
ii compelled~the landlords TO sell. But
the leaders of the Conservative party
have not advocated. nor have they ap-
proved even in principle. the adoption
of such radical and rigorous measures
for the home country They know quite
we'll that the serious undertaking OF
such a revolution would result in the
wreck of their party.
Small Farmer Handicapped.
Even where it is possible to secure
small holdings By allotment or purchase,
there is no provision for the extension
of credit to enable the small farmer to
buy. He can not mortgage the land.
as ne would do in the United States;
there is no credit bank TO aid him as
in Ireland; there is agricultural bank
to loan him on his personal paper, as
in Germany: there is no provision what
ever to enable him to take advantage
Of the few opportunities which present
themselves.
The British fondness for compromise
cripples efforts to secure remedial
legislation. and the government. declin-
ing TO organize a credit system or to
make the deposits in the postal savings
banks available for agricultural loans,
compromised by voting subscription
of $4,000 Il year TO the support of a
voluntary .-ociety called The Agricul-
tural Organization Society" formed for
the purpose of helping tenants to get
money to buy land This society meets.
discusses and resolves. ,but as IL has
no money OF its own and no money from
any banking institution, its practical
accomplishments are nil
In spite of all the talk about the
agricultural depression, in spite of all
the preaching from the text back to
the land" the British government does
absolutely nothing to encourage the
farmer Alone Of all the civilized ma
tions of the world Great Britain does
! not possess 4 single agricultural exper-
inent station. And yet in Ireland the
experiment StGNiOuS nave OOHc NOHucAS
right under the eyes of England
Wheat Growing a Science
1t must not be thought that the Eng
lish farmer is ignorant In the time OF
Queen Elizabeth he succeeded in rails
ing II bushels of wheat to the acre
That was before the United States was
settled. and the American farmer today
raises only "A bushels of wheat to the
acre as against 80 bushels to the acre
produced by the Englishman 1t is not
that the English farmer Is incOmpe-
tent it is not that he is indolent, il is
not that he is ignorant, but IL is that he
is not independent. Give him mis- own
land, break up the game preserves and
restore the deer parks 10 the dominion
of the piOw, provide him with OppOr-
tunity to secure working capital and
release him from social and personal
honda sc to the lord Of the manor, and
the English yOeman will prove himself
as valiant and as effective in the blood
less battles of the age Of Industrial pro-
gress he Sid under Cromwell in the
revolution.
Tomorrow: XV-The Conservative