The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-04-22
Bring Labor and Land Together

Bring Labor and Land Together
LajosS Steiner in the American Re
view of Reviews makes one of the
most promising suggestions we have
yet seen looking to the building up Of
our waste places and bringing the
immigrant laborer and the idle acres
of the country together with profit to
both. Mr.. Steiner urges the need Of
national organization and the conduct
of a campaign on farmeng with a view
to directing those who now come to
America and 60 back to their own
countries to their own loss and ours
to buy land with their savings Mr..
Steiner finds that about 40 per cent of
our really industrious aliens re-emi-
crate. He says:
What a change for the better 1t would
be if these land-hungry, useful people
would invest their savings IN our farming,
make our millions Of idle acres bear and
grow farm produce, create wealth and con-
tribute to public resources!
On farms the Americanization OF this
sturdy, healthy people would follow as a
matter Of course; their defendants would
become as patriotic and loyal citizens Of
the United States a. the defendants OF the
earlier arrivals. None Of our other indus
tries would'be harmed; only those would
leave industrial occupations who do 50 at
the present time"
Mr.. Steiner states the following
composite case in illustration of the
frequent sequel to re-emigration:
Paul Magyar could hardly earn enough
in Hungary to pay taxas and buy food.
For raiment and repairs he could spare
little If anything. Fellow countrymen
wrote from America Of the wages which
could be earned at the coal mines In Penn
slyyania. So he mortgaged his few acres
and his dwelling and came.
cat the mine he was paid SITS a day
Each month he paid 50 for the cooking Of
the food which he and seven other boarders
| at the house Of q fellow-countryman pur
chased jointly; the bill Of the grocer and
butcher ammounted to about Sc monthly;
clothing, repairs, dues, tobacco and drinks
cost about So more per month-making
total expenses SIS a month.
1.-THE balance Of the savings Of Paul
Magyar was sent by the local banker to
his native country. OF these savings,
about 500 was deposited at the Royal Pos
tai Savings Bank; the remaining So or $40
was used by his family for living expenses
and the payment Of taxes" .
After awhile the rest of the family
came over, and the Magyars kept
boarders. In sevrn years $4,000 had
been saved. Paul was tired of being
bossed by a foreman, and Mrs. Paul
was tired of boarders. So it was back
to Hungary, and the money went
into a parcelled estate and into a
small-farm equipped. Then
"Paul Magyar felt happy; once more he
was a tiller Of the blessed soil. Twice he
paid interest and also q little something
ION the debt ITSELF. Still at the end Of the
third year he found that the owed more
than he did woen he made the purchase
Fees, interest, repairs ard other expenses
COMPOUNDED his calculations. But mainly,
the crops did not fetch anything common
surate to the high price Of the land.
"Twice during the early fall he had he
had to leave and serve a fortnight in the
army at the biennial drill Of the reservest
High taxes, the expenses Of the schooling
Of the children and the other bothers OF life
in the old country completed his failure
and completed his failure and compelled
him to give up hope and decide to part
with the newly acxuired land.
HE tried to sell, had much difficulty,
and finally did sell. but for less than hall
Of what he had paid-only $3.50. His child
rem we're happy at that, so long as they
y ere to return to Gods own country.
The Magyars came back, older, poorer,
but wiser"
The mistake the Mayors made
was in not investing their savings in
a farm in America, where they had
made them-int the South for instance
where such a family if properly dir
ected could have decome independ-