Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-02
SOCIALISTS TO
START COLONIES
FORTY FAMILIES TO SETTLE IN
SPRING ON IS ACRE TRACT
NEAR KANSAS CITY, MO. f

I Kansas City, Mo-, Oct. 31.-F1rst OF
socialist colonies to be established IN
the west by George E. Littleteld,
president OF the National Socialist
organization and founder of the two
Fellowship" farms near Boston, is TO
be between Kansas City and Independ-
encs overlooking the Missouri river
The site is one of the prettiest IN the
Missouri valley.
The colony will be started in the
spring. Forty families will settle
there. Socialists from all over the
country have been in Kansas City
working out the plan for the colony,
and getting options on needed land.
Thirty.flve acres already have been
bought. Gas; electricity, water, and
street car service will be extended to
the tract, sewers will be provided and
the colonists will have all the conven-
fences of city. l~.
Part Of a National Scheme.
The plan Is part of the National
socialistic project for establishment OF
such colonies near every large city In
the country. One object Is to keep
men near the cities where there Is
regular employment, and yet where
in their spare time they may plant
gardens and orchards. The Kansas
City group will be known as the fruit
crest fellowship colony. The colony
will be headquarters for the fellow
ship movement west OF the Mississippi.
The colony will not be exclusively for
socialists. Any person who desires
may become a member.
The object Of the colony is to give
any one who desires a larger freedom
and greater independence than he
can, enjoy in large city where he
pays high rent or high taxes. BY the
cooperation plan a man on small
wages can buy home at actual cost
price, obtain with it q share in farm
to which intensive cultivation meth
DDS will be applied, which will supply
some needs of the colony and pay q
profit through the sale of surplus pro-
fits. 49,.
These three requirements will be
made Of the colonists:
That each lot holder bind himself
not to engage in the sale of liquor
nor to maintain nuisance in the col
oDy. &.t v
That he will not conduct any indus
try or business in the colony without
written consent of the board Of direc-
tors.
That within two years he will erect
a home to cost not less than $1,000.
To Divid Lump Profits.
There will be cooperative stores, a
dairy, poultry farm, and everything
else The profits from all will be
Jumped and divided among the lot
owners at the end OF each year, The
tract of land already purchased will
be divided into forty lots of one.third
acre each for the homes and home
gardens. There will be twelve acre
farm, two small lakes, a park, and
boulevards through the tract. The
land will be sold at from $735 to $1,000
a lot. For the first year an expert
agriculturist will be employed to at
Tend to the farm and to advise about
the home garden lots. 2. Y
Several other similar colonies are to
be established, one near st. Louis, one
near Denver, and others near st.
Joseph, Omaha, Sioux City, Des
Moines, and the other larger cities in
the trans-Mississippi district. 1t is
hoped to purchase the land and open
all these colonies in time to begin
gardening operations in the spring.