The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-10-31
70 PREVENT HIGH COST or LIv-
INC BECOMING HIGHER
b tAe Edtor ocaIa BsLner:

- TIC t<Att't 0tN*1 -
Being II Canadian birth, and own
ina. with Ily brother. oIf cd tcme-
stead in No 81. Lawrence velley.
where I spend a few months each
year. / keep up fairly well with the
measures before the Canadian and
English parliaments. and am inter-
ested In noting that Lloyd George an
nounced IN a speech last week the
new program OF legislation for the
next session OF the English parlia-
ment. and foremost among the prop
osition was land reform, declared to
be absolutely necessary TO England's
existence. Two-thirds of the game
reserves and private parks must be
returned 20 cultivation. as the first
step. aud after that further legisla-
ton must be had in regard TO the
condition OF agricultural laborers.
Perhaps this early announcement
came about from the news of what
the tories were doing. Whatever the
fault OF the English aristocrat. he is
not Of the type that can neither learn
nor forget. and he has been learning
a good deal during the last three or
four years II is probable that If the
tory party came into power. the first
thing that il would do would be TO
inaugurate the very sort of legisla-
ton that Lloyd George has announc-
ed. II is we'll known that Lord Lands
down and his colleagues in the tory
party have been at work on such
scheme for months. The whole Brit
ish population are frightened over the
fact that a weeks blockade of the En-
glish ports would put the country on
the verge of starvation. and to save
the nation the soil must be cultivat-
ed. instead of being devoted to game
reserves and private parks.
The liberal cabinet has some very
extensive land holders in it. Asquith,
Harcourt and Sir Edward Grey each
own immense estates, but they have
evidently come TO the conclusion that
the land scheme, which has done such
wonderful things in ireland, must be
extended to England The vast es-
tates must be sold and divided up
among small holders, who will cult
vate the soil. and supply in much
larger measure food-stuffs for the
people.
Apropos OF the necessity of such
legislation in England. your readers
are aware that during the present
month delegates from thirty or more
nations met in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to-
study the modern methods of preserv-
ing the moisture in the ground, so as
10 raise crops every year, and to bring
under cultivation the so per cent. OF
the earth's agricultural surface in
which the rainfall is less than twenty
inches. Ii was a fine thing that the
congress was held in Oklahoma, for
there was practically no crops there
this year, on account of drouth, and
the farmers were shown how they
could have had crop If they had
only known how to handle the soil.
The possibility of the 60 per cent
of agricultural land which the geogra-
piers say lies in the dry regions, be-
ing brought under cultivation is
enough to make the Mathusians crawl
into their caves and never come out
again in a thousand years. No crop
failures in the humid regions, and a
full one every other year in the arid
countries is what the agricultural ex-
perts promise.
The proposed legislation of the En-
glish parliament and the Tulsa con-
gress move should prevent the high
cost of living from becoming higher
during the next several DECADES at
least.
DAVID H. KIRKLAND.