Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-07-22

LONDON-The economic disadvantage
Of the English land system is shown In
the agricultural depression which is i'm
poverishing the country. Sixty years ago,
when there was a population OF 26,SO0,OOO
the domestic fields furnished breadstuffs
and vegetable food for 24,000,OOO of the
population. Now only 100000 of the
~. 100000 British people live upon bread
stuffs grown in the kingdom, In the last
% years more than 100000 acres of pro-
ductive farm land has been abandoned
to pasturage or converted into game
preserves.
In 1851, with a population of 1s,oO0,ooo,
there were more than a million and
quarter farm workers in England alone
in 1901 there were only three-quarters or
a million people working on the land
in England. The census next year Is
certain to show a still further startling
decrease In the number of people living
on the land. Scotland and Ireland do
not show such a rapid decrease, but it
must be remembered that Ireland has lost
more than half of its total population
In the past 50 years, and in Scotland
more than half a million acres Of farm
ing land have been turned into game
preserves in the last ten years The de-
preston is most marked in England.
portions, which are the citadels of the
country aristocracy.
While much is made of the conserv-
etism of the British people, it is not
true that the son of the chimney-sweep
always is willing to follow his father 8
footsteps and be nothing but a chimney
sweep. 1t is certain that the sons OF
English peasant farmers have not been
willing to remain on the land which
their fathers rented but which the land
lords refused to sell upon any condition
whatsoever. The cost of living has in
creased IN England just is 1t has In other
countries, and the burden of this In
crease has been felt severely by the
landed gentry. The result has been that
the landlords have increased rents, while
the tenants have been unable to increase
their income. The utter hopelessness Of
the future for a peasant farmer has
operated to stimulate what seems to be
a universal movement toward the cities,
and the sons of the farmers have emil
grated. to the industrial centers, SWELL
ing not only the army of factory work.
ers but also the vast and ever-increas-
ing army OF unemployed.
In these days, when back to the lana
is the slogan of a crusade being preach
ed even in the United States, where 81
pei cent of the population is rural, 1t Is
not strange that thinking Englishmen
OF all parties are crying for a cessation
of the rural migration in a country where
II per cent of the population already Is
urban.
pie in the towns, as well as in the great
cities, is pitiable is proved by the house
to house inquiry made in New York,
town In which abnormal poverty cannot
be suspected. OF the whole laborins
population OF York, II, $50 families, 1t was
found that 1920 people were living in a
state of primary poverty" or. In other
words, they failed to obtain sufficient
food and other necessaries of life to main
tain their physical efficiency, and this,
too, on the assumption that every pen
ny earned was properly spent. AS mat
ter Of fact, much was spent for drink.
OF the remainder, 1907 persons were
living in a state OF secondary power
ty," which means that their earnings
would be sufficient to provide for bare
physical sustenance, II a portion, often
q large portion, we're not absorbed in
other ways, sometimes useful, more often
wasteful.
Government statistics show that what
applies to York applies to the entire town
population Of Great Britain as a whole,
indicating that 80 per cent Of the people
do not earn enough to provide for their
physical support. That these 100000 un-
derfed people are morally affected by
their poverty cannot be doubted, and
careful inquiries have shown that, in the
second generation, the town and city
jewellers are from one to two inches
shorter and from Is to rs pounds lighter
than their fellows In the rural districts.
City life, in other countries as we'll as
In Great Britain, offers allurements which
tempt many people to leave the farm,
where they would be better off. to go to
the city and suffer in poverty. But in the
United States, In Canada, and In many
other countries there is an independence
connected with farm life which restraints
to some extent the disposition to migrate
to the city. In Great Britain there is no
such restraining influence, because the
farmer in 80 cases out of 100 does not and
cannot own even an acre Of ground, and
ne has no independence. In fact the Eng
lish tenant farmer Is far more depen-
dent upon his superiors than is the in
dustrial worker OF the city, or even the