Omaha daily bee., 1919-09-27
POLAND PASSES
LAW TO Divide
LARGE ESTATES,
Land Holdings Are Limited to
$50 Acres - Government
to Stake Peasants
In Country.

y
by the Diet gives the state the
right to appropriate the owners Of
large properties in favor Of small
holders, and establishes the prin-
ciple that an individual may not
own more than $50 acres.
This reform has been received
with dismay by the landowning
classes. They say that production
on small holdings is at least 10 to
Is per cent below that of the large
estates, that Poland cannot provide
for its own needs in foodstuffs, and
the parceling out of the land will
tend to make its deficit greater still.
It's up to the government to
teach the peasants modern farming
methods.
Furthermore, il the land is to be
properly developed, the new owner
must be assisted by the state to
buy stock and machinery and to
put up = house and farm buildings.
If the assistance to the farmer does
not correspond with the transfer
Of land there is danger that the
whole food producing organization
of Poland may be thrown out OF
gear.
Prevented Reyolution.
Radical land reform was bound to
come. /Land hunger is developed
in the Polish peasantry to an ex-
traordinary extent, and this class
represents we'll over half the popu-
lation. If the reform had been
thrown out Europe would have seen
another revolution.
Estates devoted to horse and cat
tie breeding or seed production, and
those which have been developed
for the manufacture of sugar, starch,
and the like are for the present ex-
empted. For parts of Prussian Po-
land and the eastern provinces
where larger, estates are indispens-
Nable the limit has been raised from
$50 to 1000 acres. The reform does
not sound quite so sweeping if these
reservations are taken into account.
The first step will be the creation
OF what may be called the central
land office, which will organize the
transfer of the land. This office
will absorb good deal of existing
Russian and German machinery, in
cluding that of the Russian peasants
bank, which is At present in liqui-
dation, and the colonization COM
mission at Poser A hundred mil
lion rubles remain to be collected
from peasants in the kingdom on
account of land taken over by them
through the agency of the peasants
bank. A polish state land bank
will be created which will take up
the threads of these transactions and
carry on the work of financing the
holdings created under the new re-
form. This will be done by the is
sue of so-called rent bonds, which
viii be the medium of payment.
His Capable Director.
The government is fortunate in
having available = man of excep-
tlonal qualifications to direct the
central land office. DR.. Franz
Stefczyk has been responsible for
founding a large number of agricul-
tural cooperative societies in Galicia
and has wide and practical knowl-
edge Of the peasantry and agricul-
tural conditions. He himself be-
longs to family Of small farmers,
and he possesses the confidence and
respect of the peasants.
The effect which the bill will have
on the economic and social condi-
tons in the country are incalculable.
Everything depends upon whether
the government can keep firm hold
on the reins and prevent the reform
from galloping away with them.
If the reform is successfully car
ried out it will raise the standard of
living. The sons of the peasantry
will be better educated. They will
acquire larger ideas and gradually
form, a. they have done in Posna-
MIA, . prosperous middle class which
Poland as 4 whole does not at pres
ent possess.
1t is impossible to say how long
the reform will take to carry out.
Some authorities suggest Is years,
but it 10 doubtful whether the larger
eststes will ever be reduced to the
standard size set up.