The Mountainair independent., 1919-10-23
HELP THE CENSUS ENUMERATOR

around to the farm shortly after jan
uary LIST. next year. he will ask some
questions that may sound like pry-
ing into the purely personal affairs
OF the farmer Now, the farmer.
like every other self-respecting man,
dislikes having his private affairs
peeped into and unless he thinks
about this thing in advance, may have
a disposition to be unresponsive II
not actually resistant.
In actual fact, every question that
the enumerator will ask is an essen
tial question and has a direct bear
ing on the personal welfare and pros
perity OF the individual farmer as
well as upon the advancement OF the
agriculture of the Nation as a whole.
When the Bureau of the Census de-
cided to take the farm census in jan
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
ing and breeding season, and his pro-
ducts and live stock are in better
shape for statistical treatment. Also
every new questiOn-and there are a
number of them-inserted in the agri-
cultural schedule was placed there
after consultation with the Depart
ment OF Agriculture and for the pur
pose of clearing up some specific sit
uation in which the Department Of
Agriculture is trying to aid the farm
er.
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?" "If you rent all of this farm
what do you pay as rent?" "If you
own all or part of this farm, was
there any mortgage debt or other en-
cumbrance on the land owned on
January 1, 1920?" What was the
total amount Of debt or encumbrance
on land on this farm owned by you,
January /, 1902"
What th0 Sam HILL you may in
quire, "has the Government got to
do with how much money / owe on
my land?" Well two of the things
to which the Department of Agricul
ture has been giving deepest thought
during the past several years are
farm tenancy and rural credits. The
past three censuses have shown an
increase in the number OF tenants.
Alarmists have felt--and said-that
the country is going to the bowNows
by the landlord route. The Depart
ment of Agriculture, however. looked
into the matter as we'll as it was able,
and refused to be alarmed Where it
was able to make surveys it discover
ed that while the number of tenants 25
years old was greater in 1910 than in
1900 or 1890, the number of tenants
As years old was considerably small
Ter 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 likely to be
a farm owner before his first child is
grown-the farm paid for and the
money that used to 60 to pay off the
mortgage available for sending the
children to college.
Now, to the Department Of Agricul-
ture, that looks like a thoroughly
normal, healthy, and beneficial pro-
cess. To just the extent that tenancy
leads to farm ownership, it is a good
thing for the country and for the in
dividuai.
But It has not been possible to get
a complete, nationwide survey of the
situation. The forthcoming census
offers the opportunity for doing that.
If every farmer will answer the en-
umerator's questions fully and fairly
the Department of Agriculture will
have the data from which to analyze
the situation accurately and to deter
mine what things can be done to best
advantage to help the tenant in his
aspiration to become farm owner.
One of the directions that aid may
cake is encouragement of rural credits
finding all of the ways possible OF
nelping the young farmer to get the
money that he may need to borrow.
1t is necessary, therefore, to know
what proportion of farmers who ad-
vance from tenants to owners have
to borrow money to make the change
and how much, in proportion to total
value of the farms bought, they have
to borrow.
The road toward ownership does
not necessarily start with tenancy. A