The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-03-30
The Pine Tree State.

Inc annual meeClng OF the fOrCldHu
Board of Trade at the Falmouth Hotel,
Portland, March 18th, was of unusual in
terest. The subject for the evening was
Name" and the Pine Tree State was
ably discussed by the two principal
speakers, Hon. William T. Haines of
Waterville and DR.. Leon S. Merrill, the
dean of the agricultural college at the
University of Maine. Both addresses
were remarkably interesting as showing
what the State is and what it may be
made. Few men in the State are as we'll
informed as to it's resources and possibili-
ties as Mr.. Haires and his address show
ed that his large store of personal knowl-
edge had been supplemented by great
deal of research. Opening with the
statement that maine is great in area
and small in population" he said: "We
are concerned especially in farming,
manufacturing, fishing, shipping, trad
ing, and our great summer resort bust
ness, both inland and seacoast. Farm
ing must be considered first. 1t is first
in Maine as it is in most other countries.
1t is the basic industry from which we
get our daily bread, and upon which
nearly all other industries depend for
prosperity and success. He then pre-
sented the following preliminary Stats
tics from the census of 1910 in COMPARE
,o,, those of 1QOO.
"This statement shows that the num-
Der of farms in 1910 was SO, 773, as com
pared with SO, 299 in 1900, an increase of
one per cent. and the total value of farm
landsand buildings $15S, GIG, 600, as against
$96, SOP, 900 in 1900 an increaseof sixty
four per cent. The value of farm land
alone is SS5, 1923, 600, as compared with
$40, 359, 900, in 1900, or a gain of seventy
600 as against SAT, 143, 900 in 1900, a gain
of fifty four per cent. Farm machinery
and implements, $l4, 476, 600, as against
So, S03, 900 in 1900, gain of sixty-four
per cent, while the total acreage in 1910
was 6, 291, 900 acres as compared with g.,
800, 900 in 1900, or decrease of one per
cent, while the average value per acre of
farm lands and buildings in 1910 is esti
mated at S25. 90 as against SIS. O0in 1901 or
an increase OF sixty-seven per cent, and
the most gratifying feature in the table
is that the total number Of farms oper-
ated in 1910 by owners, part owners, own
ers and tenants, as compared with all own
ers in 1900, was Sc, PAT as against IS, COZ
in 1900, while tenant farmers decreased
nine per cent, and of the total number
of farms operated by all owners in 1910,
seventy-three per cent. are owned, free
of all incumbrance. Another encour-
aging feature to my mind, from these
figures, is the large percentage of in
crease in 1910 over 1900 in the per cent
of small farms, being thirty-one per
cent. of nineteen acres and under, and
two per cent of twenty to fifty acres,
and four per cent. decrease in farms
from fifty to one hundred acres, and
eleven per cent. in decrease in the large
farms of five hundred to a thousand
acres. 1t will be noted from this table
that eleven per cent. of all the farms are
nineteen acres and under, sixteen per
cent. from 20 to so acres each, 80 per
cent. from so to 100 acres each, and %
per cent. from 100 to 125 acres each,-
IA per cent. from IT'S to 500 acres each,
and $40 of one per cent. from 500 to
l, 200 acres each and 2-10 of one per cent
over 1000 acres.
"The expenditure for labor in 1911
sum of SIS, 591, 900, as compared with ST.
666, 600 in 1900, or gain of 10 per
cent"
After discussing the various indus
tries, farming, numbering and the differ
ent phases of manufacture, Mr.. Haines
said that the railroads We're going to
prove an immense benefit by reaching
the remoter sections, and that the new
management that has secured control of
the Maine Central and other roads would
result in benefit to the State. He said
that the consolidation Of railroads always
tended to a benefit and that it would in
this case. The waterpowers of the
State, he said, were one of our most val
liable assets. They have working ca
pacity of 81, 900, 900 men a year and $780,
600 horse power was already being de-
veloped by the water wheels now in op-
GRAFTON. Only two other States, New
York and California, are ahead of Maine
in this respect. When he said that the
water power must not be transmitted
beyond the State he was enthusiastically
applauded. He declared, however, that
foreign capital would be necessary for
the development of the water power. In
proof of this, he said that none of the
large industries of Maine had fourished
on wholly native capital and that foreign
capital had to be brought to the rescue.
Foreign capital now runs most of the in
dustries of the State and its economic
value to Maine is just as great. MIR.
Haines criticized the present method of
education and declared that more atten-
ton must be paid to industrial training.
The old scheme of education must be
given up, and science as pertaining to
the practical things of life should be
taught. The wage workers of the future
must be directors of machinery, or have
knowledge of science as applied to
nractical thippe Jncidaptallv bo e,ol,o