Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-13
TAFT SEEKS CURE
OF FARM PROBLEM
President Wants immigrants Sent
to Places Where Work
Is Plentiful
NEW LAWS ARE ADVOCATED
Newcomers from Europe Are e.
ficient LaborerS in Field,
Tests Show
NEW LAWS ARE ADVOCATED

WAoI1IIN1IONI NON' L. LhS pei
picking problem confronting the
American farmer which is offered by
the growing scarcity of efficient farm
labor may be at least partially solved
as a consequence of President Taft's
decision to urge plan to bring about
better distribution of immigrants.
Government experts here say the
inefficient supply of laborers on the
farm is the cause of retarded devel-
opment of agricultural resources, and
is one of the most important factors
in the high cost of living problem
The statement has been made that
unless labor conditions on the farms
are righted the price of articles both
on the rich mans table and in the
workingmans dinner pail will in
crease 20 to 90 per cent in the next
ten years.
Secretary Wilson'S best trained and
most practical agriculturists point out
that the problem of getting enough
food to supply the rapidly increasing
population of the United States de-
pends for solution on increasing the
average yield of land per acre. This
means more intensive agriculture,
with wise fertilization, and the in
creased work will naturally bring
good farm help. The supply of native
farm laborers today does not equal the
demand, due perhaps to the influx of
the young men to the large cities.
NEWCOMERS ARE FARMERS
Immigrant rates on the railroads to
the south, west and middle west, SINH
lar to the immigrant rates of Canada,
would also result in much good, but
would have to be provided for by
amendment to, the interstate COM
merce law.
The character of the European i'm
migrants is predominantly agricul-
tural. Officials in both the department
OF agriculture and the bureau of immi-
grafton in the department of commerce
and labor agree with the president
that it is not wise to allow the new
comers to be huddled in the crowded
cities, where they can find neither
good food, good homes, nor profitable
employment, when the farmers of the
country are calling for their much
needed services.
The president, because of the per-
sonal investigation which he made on
his recent trip to the Ellis Island i'm
migration station at New York, thinks
that much can be accomplished by de-
fiecting the tide of immigration to
other ports, particularly to those on
the South Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
It is generally agreed here that some
thing can be done In this direction,
but the results would naturally be
limited, because the great majority of
the large steamers land at New York.
Likely more will be accomplished by
imposing a condition of entrance that
the immigrants can remain in all
ports only transiently. A simple law
making it necessary that the steam
cI1 Oiac inPrpoC fhn nnSt of
steerage passage to allow for the price
of sufficient railroad transportation to
take the immigrant out of the zone of
eongested territory would bring about
the desired result if satisfactory
statute could be framed to meet the
constitutional requirements.
FAVOR IMMIGRATION RATES
immigration experts claim that the
one solution of the immigration prob
lem depends upon this governments
future success in the distribution of
the tens of thousands now being land
ed in American ports. They say that
failure to assist the land tilling Euro
peans in finding their natural place on
the farms robS the immigrants of the
opportunity to get home and profit
able employment, and loses for this
country the services of many of the
worlds best trained food producers.
Italians, Tor instance, WHO nave Hdu
a chance to become farmers in the
United States, have met with much
success. This has been shown by the
colony of 400 families of fruit growers
owning their own homes at South
Glastonbury, Conn.,, and the colony
which has developed more than 1000
acres of land near Tontitown, in north
western Arkansas.
The italians at South Glastonbury
raise food for their families on small
farms, intensity cultivated, and at the
same time find profitable employment
In the famous Hale peach and apple
orchards nearby. The colony in Ar
kansas has become very prosperous
from the sale of farm products work.
ing under the direction of Rev. Pietro
Bandini. The success of the Euro
peans at these colonies, and dozens
of other places where like progress is
being made, is serving as a guide for
the work Of this government through
the division of information of the
bureau of immigration in placing the
newcomers where their services are
most needed.