The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-12-28
A STAY-oN-T HE-LAND PLAN.
Leigh Hunt of Seattle Proposes a Way
to Bring Man and Land Together.

Ii has remained Tor Delgh HuHli III
mer owner of the Seattle Post -lntelli-
gencer and a traveller and sojourner in
many lands, to offer plan for keeping
men on the land that is already cult.
waited by enabling them to buy 1t and
farm it themselves. This is his remedy
for growth of tenantry and abandon
ment of farms in contradistinctlon TO
the familiar backto-the-land move
ment. Mr.. Hunt sets forth his plan in
pamphlet entitled "Our National
Land Problem"
Against the old theory that 100 acres
constitutes 'the only workable agri-
cultural unit" Mr.. Hunt says that the
conception of small units begetting
thrift, economy and independence is
gaining favor" and he sets himself to
find a way of realizing this conception
with the minimum of paternalism. Re
jecting the land policies of Australia
and New Zealand and the soldiers set
Element plan of Great Britain as open
to serious objection from the American
viewpoint, he sees little hope for the
landless farm worker in irrigation OF
government arid land or in reclamation
of cut-ov land. He finds that the
farm act offers aid against mortgages
to the land owning farmer, when it is
''the tenant and the landless to whose
aid we should first come" and when
"the vital question is how to give a
reasonable opportunity of future pos
session to those who have nothing.
He believes that, Gin particular provis-
ion should be made to facilitate pur-
chase of leased lands by tenants" Own
ers of large holdings refuse to sell
piecemeal, therefore means must be
found to buy their entire holdings and
divide them into farms. He holds it
probable that ''the owner of a 40-acre
farm will nurse his land in such a way
that within five years it will yield
twice as much as when held under
lease" He is confident that ownership
will develop more intense love OF the
soil and of country, together with a
higher degree of intelligence and a
better idea of citizenship than expert
ence has shown to result from migra-
tory tenantry."
An illustration is used to explain his
solution of the problem. A 4O0acre
farm in Iowa is for sale at $3.50 an
acre. Ten "landless men of that com
munity club together and negotiate an
opinion of purchase" make tentative
subdivision, draw lots for each plot
and permit the dissatisfied members to
withdraw and be replaced by others.
The club then submits a map to the
government authority with proof Of
ability and readiness of each member
to advance 81 for each SD that the gov
eminent is asked to lend. After inves-
tigation proves all well the govern
ment advances the entire purchase
price, gives each member deed to his
plot and takes first mortgage, to be
paid in 20 years beginning five years
after date, interest payable annually.
The money which each member adj
vances will build a home and provide
equipment for the farm, or it could be
used in part payment, the government
Withholding a like amount to pay for
improvements as they are made. The
number of members in each club would
be limited to %, and the size of farms
would vary according to the use--five
to ten acres for trucking, ten to 20
acres for fruit and truck, 40 TO 60 for
cotton and grain, 40 to so for grain and
dairy
This plan is offered "as an entering
wedge---a beginning that may conceiv-
ably have a cumulative effect" 1t
might best be worked out by the states,
and adoption by the government
might we'll be simply in the nature of
a trial" In that even "a model col
ony could be set up in each state, "
for which an appropriation of Sl0,0OO,-
600 would amply suffice"
This plan has points which will com
mend it as valuable contribution to
the great end of putting and keeping
the land as property of those who cul-
tivate it, 1t starts with the initiative
and thrift of those who are already on
farms, know how to farm and desire to
remain as land owning farmers. II is
not an alternative TO the farm loan act,
which benefits mainly those who are
already owners 1t could be carried out
on land that is already cultivated ST.
simultaneously with reclamation of arid,
swamp and cut over land. II would not
involve large government expenditure
and its operation could readily be
handed over 20 the states. Though
designed to keep on the farm men who
are already there, it might bring back
from the towns those who have left
the farm because they saw no chance
of becoming owners, but it would hard
ly attract the green city man who
would run the risk of failure. 1t would
contribute to one of the great ends OF
after-war reconstruction by anchoring
many men to the land and inspiring a
motive for patriotism through giving
stake in the country.-Portland Ore
gonian.
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