The Detroit times., 1913-11-03

Brought to the surface Two startling
faets. First. the fact that during the
decade from 1900 !? 1910 our urban
cent In other words. our eitiss are are
growing more than three times as fast
as our rural districts. This tells "A SER
bross ss9r sa, The .sGond Stating fac,
while farm owners have Increased dur
Ing the same period 81 per cent. farm
tenants have Increased ls,s per cent.
land with congested cities and
sparsely settled ruraI ulstficts covered
largely with tenants who are working
for absentee landlords. may be liken-
end.
a modern writer has said that mo
nation can be regarded as unhealthy
rural smployments. however discon-
soil" $50 ,o,,. ,,' ...,,,,. ..
apply their minds TO devising legis.a-
tion and TO encouraging all things tina I
Will have for their end not only hiRn-
OF the farm laborer. and farm tenant.
now easily lured TO the cities with
their dual attractions OF more amuss-
ments and higher wage, into perma-
One of the greatest calamities that
can befall land IL to have few land
pie living under such conditions is like
ly closely to approximate serfdom.
II with the abundance Of cheap land
stu ay ,ans during ,s, the years be.
increased 1853 per cent against less
than half that percentage Of increase
In farm owners. how much larger will
be the increase In the percentage OF
farm tenants In the decades to come
when cheap lands Will become less and
less available?
America is not alone In dealing with
the problem OF how 10 keep its people
on the land. Europe also has this a.
sue to deal with. Most countries In
Strenuous ; and more scisntine eforts
the rural worker to drift to the elites
Top: to maniSs rural ii4s moT. natr nS
Europe are doing much to make coun-
try life worth livins. by Initiating In.
ments and by leaving nothing undone
to take away the old time monotony
Of life. hitherto seemingly 80 INSOFAR,
able from the rural district. Above all
things else European statesmen and
problem 10 largely economic. have BY
ton bsttered the economic condition Of
the rural worker by making II possible
fog him to borrow money Tor the pur-
land at the worlds lowest possible
rate OF interest. and have established
conditions whereby he may spread tht
ISU0yASut VI ubo loShs ONGI pSIAoc
Of from twenty to. seventy -nve years.
The rural worker has Furthermore
been encouraged to organise local co,
| operative banks, for the purpose OF
furnishing him. In addition to his land
loans. personal loans on short time
payments needed TO meet current re-
| Quiremsnts In the working of his land
| These dual systems OF rural credits
have worked wonders In the economic
condition Of the European small farm.
| or. They have made II possible FOL
untold numbers OF European farm
hand. and farm tenants who have saw
| srs. This they were enabled to do BY
virtue Of the fact that only a fraction
of the purchase price was needed &c
| buy a pieoe of land, the balance being
made payable In small annuities OF
from half to one per cent of the
principal, with the worlds lowest rate
Of interest on deferred payments. They
have not only promoted small owner
ship, but they have kept the small
farmer (already q land owner) from
| reaching a point where, through IN
ability TO borrow money on hi: few
acres at a reasonable rate Of interest,"
within the brief period usually nxed
by ordinary banks. he would and him.
self obliged to give up his land and
| become wage worker, drifting to the
| cities. as a rule.
TO permit q continuance OF the pres.
| ent tendency OF American farms being
titled by tenants working for absentes
landlords, IL sooner or later to invite
ALI the. Ills from which Ireland hai
emerged.
| The energies OF our American statss-