The nonpartisan leader., 1921-01-24


is less than that of the state of
Texas, but the population of the country at the time
the started 66,000,00 thirds as
large the population of the United States Ger
many's soil is poor-even the early Roman invaders
commenting on this fact.
With it's small area, it's poor soil and it's large
population, how Germany able to feed it's peo-
pie during the war?
The answer is that agricultural cooperation gov
ernment crop insurance and cheap money to farm
enabled German farms to increase their produc-
tion far above the production per in the United
States. Government help made it possible for every
German farmer to put every at work at a
profit, no matter how poor it's soil.
Government aid in getting German farmers
money easy terms started in Ito under the
reign of the late kaisers ancestor, Frederick the
Great, more than $50 years ago. In this year the
first "landschaft' was created by government au-
thority.
The German landschaft corresponds roughly to
the federal farm loan bank of the United States.
It is association Of landowners to borrow money
real estate mortgages. The German landschaft
takes the property that is pledged and issues bonds
against it, which are sold on the open Market just
the federal land banks do in the United States
But instead Of selling the bonds itself and giving
the of the property cash the andschaft gives
him the bonds which readily negotiable
The landschaft system highly successful in
getting money needed by landowners Loans were
made up to twothirds of the value of the property
(instead of one-half in the United States). In
1912 the landschaften of Prussia (ony prov
ince or state of Germany had issued bonds of
3,0ooyo00,0o0 marks (about $750,00o,oo0), prin-
cipally at 31A per cent interest.
In other words, Germany $50 years ago was as
far ahead, in giving government aid to farmers
the United States is today. But Germany did not
stop at this point
GOVERNMENT AID AND
COOPERATION WORK TOGETHER
Under encouragement from the government CO.
ODerative associations of all kinds ORGANIZED.
These included cooperative granaries of from 5000
to 100 900 tons, much like the country elevator sys-
TENS Of the United States cooperative dairies and
creameres cooperative societies for the purchase
of fertilizers and agricultural machinery, co-opera-
tive insurance societies, cooperative societies
for the purchase of electricity at wholesale and it's
distribution to members.
Hand in hand with the cooperative activity,
which itself encouraged and aided by the gov
ernment, went government action. There gov
ernment ownership and control of railroads and
representatives of the farming interests were ap-
pointed national board to determine what
would be fair rates for farmers to pay their
products. To encourage deposits in savings banks,
which could then make loans to farmers, the gov
ernment guaranteed savings bank deposits. There
for farmers and insurance against the loss of
horses and other livestock.
1t is difficult in many cases, to draw the line be-
tween what was done for German farmers by the
government and what they did for themselves by
cooperation. In the line of Insurance. for instance
the German government has insured buildings
against fire at cost since 1911 and has insured crops
against hail since 1884. In both of these cases the
individual farmer deals directly with the state In
the OF livestock Insurance. however, the insur-
is first written by local cooperative societies.
and the local insurance societies then rensure their
risks with the state ~ ~e. ~ a