Evening star., 1925-01-18

passed the experimental stage" Mr.
Reid stated.
First of all problems after gov
ernment is land" he continued
There is land, productive land, every
where for the rich man, but unfortu-
nately there is little land available
for the man without means. That, to
a greater or less extent, has been the
condition ever since the coming of
Europeans. In no country of South
America is the outlook for land own
ership more than fairly satisfactory
for tho poor man. For years public
spirited citizens and legislators have
sought to solve the agrarian prob
lem, but they have found that they
themselves are often the offenders
So vast are hundreds of estates that
have descended from family to fam
lily for generations that they are
mentioned by square leagues rather
than by hectares or acres" He then
called attention to efforts being made
by the Central Argentina Railroad,
for instance, where 10000 foreigners
ing recent year to help solve the
problem of finding land for the poor
man.
The providing of adequate trans
portation facilities for getting prod
ucts of all kinds to market is
another problem which South Amer
ica must work out. The countries
that possess the greatest railway
facilities, like Argentina, Brazil, Uru-
quay and Chile, he said, have profited
by modern traffic facilities, but these
have been inadequate.
Need of Better Housing.
Fewer palatial residences for the
rich man and more livable homes for
the poor man are conditions that
need adjustment in all South Amer
lean countries, Mr.. Reid asserted.
Among the more conspicuous efforts
to house and care for the laborer
that it had been his privilege to ex-
anime, he said, are the workmen'S
homes in Buenos Aires, in Santiago,
those of the Chile Exploration Co. at
Chuquicamata, and the new homes
in the region of Santa Marta, CO.
lombia. He then mentioned the prog
ress in sanitation in most of the
| South American countries; and pre-
dicted that the recent visit of
United States Public Health Service
officials to South America and meas
ures of international sanitary CO.
operation which have been entered
into foreshadow a gradually lessening &
| mortality.
Varied activities for conserving
population are to be noted IN each
South American country, he added. AS
| illustrative of these activities he
mentioned the new land settlement
service of Brazil; Uruguay's school
| for training municipal nurses and
| efforts to attract young women from
| the best families: Argentina's ma
| tional housing commission, and that
! country's work in saving babies and
| in providing better homes for labor
| ing classes; Chile's new housing COM
| mission, which has stimulated life
| conservation; the sanitation and mod
| ernization of Guayaquil, and a change
| Of attitude toward the laborer by
some of the landed proprietors in
| Ecuador; the introduction of modern
! sanitary appliances and underground
| sewerage in Bolivian cities; the
| awakening in Venezuela for modern
! highways and the building OF a num-
! Der of miles of such roads; Peru's
| new laws in behalf of the laboring
classes and explicit stipulations to
! employers of labor; and in Paraguay
| the exception from all taxes for five
years on homes constructed by the
/ poorer classes.
South Americans, l believe, are
appreciating the dignity of labor tc
a greater degree than ever before,
said Mr.. Reid in conclusion, "and are
realizing that their problems canno:
be solved without the inflow OF new
peoples. Wise heads, therefore, plea
| for a fair deal for the newcomer, for
| a piece of land for him to cultivate
a modest but comfortable home; in
other words, welfare and contentmen;
| for contented middle class In the
| lifeblood of the nation"