Arizona republican., 1917-07-21


 ard virgin nature. These sta*eS repre- s2Ltate fofty nine percent of all the i7 p land C: ;... i;rtlted St .tes and fol ty-four per cent of all the unin- proved farm land of the United States It is therefore evident that consider able of this land could be used for greater production, and Arizona will be called upon to do her share \
 Il is estimated by the United States Commission on Industrial Relations, that more than fOur-fifthS of the area of the large farm ho dings is inactive because the holdings are controlled by 50,000 owners who keep the land from active production while the other one fifth is held by over two million and one half farmers who own less than fifty acres each This indicates at once that monopoly by these large interests is detrimental and reacts directly upon the smaller farmers and eventually the consumer pays the bill. If it were possible to release this pressure and assist the farmer to purchase land of smaller acreage it would help tremen- dously in reducing the high cost of living and allow the farmer to concen- f1 of profit from his efforts.
 According to authoritative figures it costs between $100 and s150, an acre to clear desert land in this state, this does not include the remaining pay ments of water rights amounting to $40 and $50 per acre. This fact alone makes 1t interesting to the farmer who is now actively engaged in farming or to the individual who contemp ates en- tering the farming profession and brings out very forcibly, the fact that we must reduce large acreages of farm land. and assist the smaller farmer in handling his proposition of 160 acres or less.
 The total net ground rent of farm land in the United States, figured at five per cent of it's total value, amounts to over two billion dollars Think what this amount would do for the farmers of these United States who could pur- chase their own farms and intensity the acreage. It is stated that but twelve per cent of the farm land in this coun- try under cultivation, is producing maximum yields. With this in mind it is interesting to read of several meth ods suggested that would materially assist iii remedying this barrier.
 By taxing the lands by land values only, instead of net ground rent value the farmers of the United States are paying annually over two billion dollars whereas if the tax levy was based on net ground rent value, the cost would be fully seventyfive per cent less than Is now being paid. The state govern ments in most of these effected states could relieve this by taking over the ground rent thus enabling the taxes to hl +nd hu inn ci, 1 tiOn and development of lands.
 Another method to increase intensive farming. would be to tax lightly all inn provements and products of labor on farm lands and to tax heavily the large tracts of land now being held for spec ulation. This would no doubt bring many protests from owners of large 1 tracts, but if it is for the best, then proper laws can govern each case. The increase in acreage of improved lands within the United States during the past ten years has been but sixteen per cent leaving about three hundred and fifty million acres of idle, but till 1 able farm lands of which most is very fertile. Ths is due indirectly to the large holdings of tracts that have re- manned undeveloped because of spec ulative ownership. Is it any wonder 1 that our cities are becoming more | crowded with boys and girls from the country, who have become discouraged with the outlook of ever making a liv- 1 ing on the farm? In order to reconcile i these people and to take care of the throng of city people who wish to go 1 to farming, it is imperative that some action be taken immediately in an at 1 tempt to revive the Back to the Land movement.
 i In order to make the farm more at l tractive to all type of workers who undoubtedly would make a success oi 1 farming, 1t is necessary to afford then a fair profit on their work and to gve them proper accommodations anC i pleasant surroundings, to this end con siderable good is being done by com UUnity organizations, but stil more effort must be put forth to give then all of the comforts they have become accustomed to while living in the city just how far this should go is matter that will have to be decided upon by others who are better acquainted witt rural conditions. However, in order tt increase the acreage of food product: it is imperative that we have more labor and in order to secure more labol we must have something better to of fer than tive ve hours hard work a thirtyfive dollars a month.
 What is needed right now is nor, intensified farming. for only by so do ing can we expect to meet tae shortag' of crops for this year. If fafm owner: will concentrate on the present acreag' they own they will be able to increas' production fully twenty per cent. Th' average United States farm today i
 worth $47 per acre in comparison witt
 s15 per acre in 1910. Nineteen per cen
 of all farm land of the United State
 in 1910 was in tacts of over 1000 acre
 and only nine and one-half per cen
 was in tracts of less than 1000 acres
 Therefore, if the farmers of Arizon; will concentrate on the land now till
 abe and grow crops best suited to th
 soil, they can no doubt increase thei
 output materially and assist in solving
 the many problems confronting us. Th
 Council of Defense of Arizona is work
 ing directly with the federal organiza tion and cooperating with other stat councils. All that is asked of the peopl