The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-03-12
RODERICK 0. MATHESON, EDITOR
Land Problems Abroad

~ is going to- be that of the re distribution Of
the agricultural lands. J. H. c. Johnston, one Of
Britain's leading agricultural experts, advances
the idea in his book The National Agricultural
Policy" that land-hodng, at least 50 far as land
capable OF cultivation is concerned, must be based
on the principle Of occupancy.
Not all farmers and cuItivators however, have
the capital to enable them to work the land to the
best advantage If the state is to father the en-
,crprse then the present owners must be paid for
their property by guaranteed bond issues while
the farmer must also receive from some guaran-
teed source the cash he requires as working
capital.
Fihahcfay, the principles of cooperative credit
and occupying ownership involved. the interest
Lf the State beng to have productive land used to
the best advantage, as we'll to- devise means
whereby tenants become land owner, if they so
desire without cOnhstation of the great estates.
The breaking up OF large holdings is not in it
self the chief problem and anyone who would at
tempt to draw a parallel between old World and
New World conditions considering only the factor
Of size of areas held under ownership, would
lie begging the question. Nor are conditions in
Great Britain comparable with those OF Germany,
say. The British landlords have withdrawn great
areas Of arabic lands from productive use because
their great wealth permitted them to buy their
food supply overseas. The richest lands, nearest
the great market centers, have been kept i'll use
:: system OF intensive agriculture having been de-
veloped by cooperation between tenants and land
owners
The great landed proprietors Of Germany have
maintained fcudal control their acres and
their tenants Land poor" many OF them, the
Junker, landlord classes have rcpresSed land
ownership among the actual cultivatorS of their
fields. Maintaining quaS-serfdOm among their
farmers while directing their laborS along highly
scientific lines OF production, these German land
lords have built that strong and mattcr-of-fact
food producing organization so essential to i'm
perialsm.
The farming classes, if that term can be rightly
applied to the agricultural toilers Of the German
empire have such political status as the farm
ers of the United States and England. There will
he no Land problem" there unless until the
allied armies of democracy have swept aside eudal
autocracy. A national agricultural policy, in Eng
land or America, must conform to democratic
ideals for there is imperialistc over-lord whose
will is law There must be that justice
characteristic of all Anglo-Saxon peoples, grant
ing to landlord and tenant each the full exercise
Of his individual rights, and yet changing, or
modifying free action that the purposes of the gov
eminent shall prevail
1t will appear, therefore. that the reorganza-
ton of England's agricultural land ownership
policy, after the war. is simple than would
be complete readJuStment of land ownership in
the United States, the federal government to
attempt it. Here, tenant farming is rapidly gain
ing the ascendenCy in many OF the older farming
communities, for strictly commercial reasons
without in any way entang the creation Of class
distinctions, eOpardizing the common demoC-
raCy.