Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-10-07

If you aim to climb this ladd
the facts about yourself so that t
When the census enumerator comes
around to the farm shortly after Jan
uary 1, next year, he will ask some
questions that may sound like prying
into the purely personal affairs of
the farmer Now, the farmer, like
every other self-respecting man, dis
likes having his private affairs peed-
ed into and, unless he thinks about
this thing in advance, may have
disposition to be unresponsive if not
actually resistant.
In actual fact, every question that
the enumeration will ask is an essen
tial question and has a direct bear
ing on the personal welfare and
prosperity of the individual farmer
as well as upon the advancement of
the agriculture of the nation as
whole.
When the bureau of the census de-
cided to take the farm census in Jam
uary instead Of in April, it did SO
upon the advice of the United States
department of agriculture. The
farmer is less likely to be very busy
in January than at the spring plant
products and live stock are in better
shape for statistical treatment. Also
every new Question-and there are
a number of then-inserted in the
agricultural schedule was placed
there after consultation with the de-
partment of agriculture and for the
purpose of clearing up some specific
situation in which the department
of agriculture is trying to aid the
farmer.
Here are SOME questions that will
be- asked: do you own all of this
farm" DO you rent from others
part but not all of this farm?" do
you rent from others all of this
farm?" eff you rent all of this farm,
what do you pay as rent?" eff you
own all or part of this farm, was
there any mortgage debt or other
encumbrance on the land so owned
on January /, 1920?" what was the
total amount of debt or encumbrance
on land on this farm owned by you
January 1, 1902"
Pertinent-Not Impertinent
"What the Sam HILL" you may
inquire, "has the government got to
do with how much money [ owe on
my land?" Well, two of the things
which the department of agriculture
has been giving deepest thought dur
ing the past several years are farm
tenancy and rural credits. The past
three censuses have shown an in
crease in the number of tenants
Alarmists have felt-and said-that
the country is going to the bow
vows by the landlord route. The de-
partment Of agriculture, however,
looked into the matter as well as it
was able, and refused to be alarmed.
Where it was able to make surveys
it discovered that while the number
of tenants twenty-five years old was
greater in 1910 than in 1900 or 1890,
the number of tenants forty-five years
old was considerably smaller in 1910
than in 1900 or 1890.
The inference is that tenancy is
a step toward ownership, that the
young fellow who becomes a tenant
farmer when he marries, say, is like
ly to be a farm owner before before
his first child is grown-the farm
paid for and the money that used
to go to pay off the mortgage avail
able for send the children to col
lege.
ture, that looks like a thoroughly
normal, healthy and beneficial proc
ess. To just the extent that tenancy
leads to farm ownership, it is a
good thing for the country and for
the individual.
Full Answers Essential
But it has not been possible to get
complete, nationwide survey OF
the situation. The Forthcoming CEN
sus offers the opportunity for doing
that If every farmer will answer
the enumerators questions fully and
fairly the department of agriculture
will have the data from which to
analyze the situation accurately and
to determine what things can be
done to best advantage to help the
tenant in his aspiration to become
a farm owner.
One of the directions that aid may
take is encouragement of rural cred
its-finding all Of the ways possible
of helping the young farmer to get
money that he may need to Dor
row. 1t is necessary, therefore, to
know what proportion of farmers
who advance from tenants to own
ers have to borrow money to make
the change, and how much, in pro-
portion to total value of the farms
bought, they have to borrow.
The road toward ownership does
not necessarily start with tenancy.
A great many farm owners were first
farm hands, then tenants, then own
ers with a mortgage, then owners
debt free. The census will show, if
the questions are answered fairly,
how many years, if any, every farm
er worked for wages; how many years
he was a tenant, and how many
years he has been an owner. The
department of agriculture will have
the basic information it needs to
help men to success in farm owner
ship.
Other Important Queries
Here are some other questions
that will be asked: HAS this farm
telephone?" rs water piped into
the operators house?" Has the
operators house gas or electric
ight?"
Now, that looks like an effort 70
FIND out whether or not the farm
family has the modern home COM
forts-and it is just that, but it
means something more than mere
inquisitiveness. Several months ago,
when the bureau of farm manage
ment was in process of reorganiza-
ton. the secretary of agriculture
called a conference of heads of
schools, social workers, and others
from all over the country. When
the people were assembled in Wash
.ngton he asked their opinion as to
the most useful thing that could be
done by the office of farm manage
ment. For a whole day those people
discussed the matter. Just before
night, with a score of items on the
ballot. they took q vote The work