The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-24
FARM COLONIES
 FOR ITALIANS
Plans In Behalf of Return ing Emigrants = Sugges- tion for Checking Tuber- cllosis-Our Climate Dis agrees with Italians.
Contessa Lisi Cipriani.)
Exclusive Service The Survey Press
 Bureau.-

Contessa Lisi Cipriani.)
 (ExcIusive Service The Survey Press
 Bureau.-
 Senator Villari. in an article pub lished recently in the Corriere della Sera of Milan, Italy, suggests the formation of a syndicate to- buy up land with the purpose of selling it again at cost to the returning emi- grant This, he thinks, would stop the undue exploitation of those emil who after years of hardships return to Italy with a small capital with which to buy a homestead. Now they often have to buy poor land at , triple it's value, and finding 1t inn . possible to cultivate it with sufficient profit, they are compelled to sell 1t to the man. from whom they bought at such a price as to entirely lose their hard earned savings.
 If the welfare of the returning Ital- ian emigrant demands that they be protected in any attempt to enter upon agricultural pursuits in their own country where they understand the language. public welfare in the United States demands it's no less. It is imperative that large numbers of southern emigrants, by no means Italians alone, should be induced to leave the city and take up agricul- tural pursuits. but it is also impera- tive that limited number of them, Particularly Italians. should have every facilitation when returning to agrarian occupations in their own
 The congestion of population. the low standard of living due to insuf- flcient wages, and the natural dlffl- culties of standardization in the rigid
 "a hox nd deterioration of the race which de- mands effective curative and preven- tive measures. AS every em1grant who has resided in this country more than three years becomes, in case of illness a burden to this country, the amazing figures furnished by the in yestigations of the committees for the prevention of tuberculosis suffice to prove the need of concerted and strenuous effort
 city. says: "The proportion of Italian 'consumptives returning to Italy in 1903 was 2.92 per thousand, in 1904, ATS, in 1906, 5.61 per thousand. But this average is far below the real condition because it only takes ac- count of the very advanced bedrldoen cases among steerage passengers, is- plated in the ship hospital, who con- stitute a small fraction indeed, as compared to the large army of those in the incipient or moderately advanc- ed stages. and those travelling second or first cabin. From what have and seen. I am ready to venture the state ments that fully 50 per cent of the second class passengers are suffering from tuberculosis in some form or other, and during certain seasons and on certain cheap lines, the percentage may be still higher.'
 To these appalling figures may be added the no less impressive state tment that last year the Committee for the Prevention of Tuberculosis in New York city found 10000 cases which had not been reported at any of the various institutions which treat tubercllar patients And. swhens we consider that 4bed for am adult in a hospital for. tuberculosis can cost no less than four thousand dollars, while the place of child in, the children's hospitals treating the various diseases of the bones which tuberculosis causes, costs eight thousand dollars, the material interest of the more for tunate classes in the United States in bettering conditions is easily brought home even to the least philanthropi- cally inclined. For all immigrant tubercular patients that cannot be sent back to their own country will have to be cared for. by public or private institutions if the United States, and a few reach the stage when they are unable to support them selves before they have been in this country three years. The expense to the country will. with the number of cases, increase at asAtremendous rate.
 For emigrants from Southern Italy the ideal solution ; is the establish ment of farming villages, where they could be gathered in groups and en- ployed as day ldborers until they had gained enough experience in new methods of cultivation and had saved enough money to acquire small farms on their own account.
 Southern Italians who come to this country, though they mainly. come from agricultural districts, have only worked as day laborers on the es- tates, and the attempt to make them landholders with a small capital and . lacking experience can scarcely be to the isolation of the life on the farm and this is no doubt one of the reasons why they cannot be induced to leave the city. The United States could furnish experts to instruct the :. people in certain lines of intensive farming and the Italian government would do doubt be willing to assist in many ways not only in increasing { the number of Italian emigrants ready l to settle in such villages, but in as- sisting them during the period of ad- justment, just as it morally and fin- ancially assists in the camp schools ! carried on by the Society for Italian Emigrants.
 But number of Southern Italians now settled in New York and suffer ing @ from Y incipient tuberculosis, could be restored to health and strength in their native climate, while they are not in condition either to stand the conditions they find in the city, or to face the rigor of the north ern winter in the out of door work in the country. And these should as fast as possible be enabled to return ? to Italy and take up their old pur- suits there.
 On the other hand the agricultural experiments conducted in the United States have given results which would
 2 l~4 T