Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-01-02
D. s. Tagging BEHIND
IN FARM COLONIZATION
Frederick Kerby Says CLOSER
Bill Would End Injustice
to Settlers
BY FREDERICK M. KERRY

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Dec. 30.-The
United States is the only civilized coun-
try that has not adopted modern meth
DDS of farm colonization and provisions
for settlers on its lands, was the state
ment made by Prof. Elwood Mead, chair
man of the cost review board of the
reclamation service, and student of the
land problem in Europe and Austria
liza, testifying before the house commit
tee on labor on the Cresser farm colo
niZation bill
This bill, in its essential feature"
said Prof Mead, Substitutes organiza-
ton and business experience in the
use of adequate capital in carrying out
the preliminary work necessary to sue
cessful settlement and cultivation, in
place of experience and lack of capital
and equipment on the part of the indi-
vidual. 1t is based on community rath-
er than individual development.
''The methods now being employed
are not economic or efficient. They
work serious injustice to people who
try to acquire homes.
Take as an illustration an area of
$4,000 acres; several reclamation pro-
jects contain more than that.
Fifty thousand acres means 1000
families, 1000 houses and barns; level
ing and fencing of 1000 farms.
1.-THE thousand families who come to
those farms must individually deal with
carpenters and builders. although many
of them are unfamiliar with the kind of
house best suited to the climate and sur
roundingS. They must individually lev
ell the land and prepare 1t for water. at
an enormous cost, because of ignorance
of the proper method. Individuals on
one project 1 found paying $27 a thou
sand for lumber, which in carload lots
nCt n fhnRrCnnd iva CT rrzh
be shipped in; and we found people pay
ing 500 for cows that in the first in
stance had only cost Sos. Then the set
tier must pay heavy interest on any loan
to carry him along.
1.-THE result is, as they say in the west,
that about two out of every three set
tiers fail.
Contrast with this the Australian
method. Imagine a project with a bus
mess manager intrusted with sufficient
capital to make all improvements. The
government provides plans for half a
dozen different styles of houses and
buildings, and employs a contractor to
erect the style the settler selects. The
land is leveled and prepared at very
small cost by a great contracting COM
pany handling thousands of acres, in
stead of by each individual farmer try
ing to work out his problem alone. The
settler comes into well-built house, on
a farm prepared for cultivation and with
the first seed already in the ground. He
is required to pay only 20 per cent of
the cost with low interest rate on the
balance, and he has 80 per cent of his
capital left to carry him along.
1.-The adoption of the Crosser bill
would establish the same plan in this
country.
MEN have come on the lands in Aus
tralia from a distance of $4,000 miles
and have been earning a living on their
land within 80 days of settlement Eigh-
succeed"
A majority of the house labor commit
tee is believed to favor the bill: and the
chances are 1t will be reported to the
house soon.