Evening star., 1925-08-27
COLONIZATION PLAN
IN RUSSIA SUCCESS.
Huue Drive for New Jewish
Project Planned in U. S.
This Fall.
BY JUNIUS b. WOOD.

MOSCOW, August 21.-The JEWISH
AGRICULTURAL colonization project IT
south Russia. which in magnitude
promises to equal the Zionist under.
raking in Palestine, has just completed
it's first years work. The work or 10
Eating colonists and also Of financing
the project is divided between the
ioint distribution committee, which Is
he American Jewish organization
and the department of agriculture ol
The Soviet government.
During the wear G,lS1 tamilies have
been settled on 262,ete &cres OF it-iu
IN Ukrainia. Crimea. White Russia
and Gomel. the ancient Jewish dis
Ericr,
schools Built Free
Under the division OF eiIo@ The gov
ernment furnishes the land ANA build.
ing materials and erects schools and
buildings free. The government in the
past year expended about 100000 ru-
bles for materials and also donated
100000 rubleS in supplies.
The American organization con
rributed $500, ,00o, the last quarterly
installment of which nov is being re
ceiYed.
The government acts through 4
commission named Kuznet. meaning
AGRICULTURAL committee to organize
Jewish workers The Joint diStribu-
ton committee. for its share OF the
work, has a specially created organ!-
zation which under the Bolshevill alb
-ojoint, meaning Americana ewlsh
Joint Agricultural Corporation, with
headquarters in the former Moscow
palace of Count Bazilevsky.
DR.. Joseph Rosen, president OF As
rojoint, now Is in the United States in
anticipation Of a nationwide drive for
$4,000, 900 to continue the colonial
ton work. The drive starts Septem'
Der IL with meeting at the Ben1a-
min Franklin Hotel, Philadelphia, the
call having been signed by Felix NJ.
q Warburg, chairman of the joint dis
tribution committee; Louis Marshall
Adolph s. Ochs, Nathan Straus. Ju
Dus Rosenwald. Judge Harry Fisher,
Adolf Krauss. Jacob NJ. Loeb, Mrs.
Jacob Schiff. Harry Sulzberger and
others
Many Applicants.
When announcement was made a
wear ago that between three and four
thousand unemployed Jewish artisans
and merchants with their families
could locate in the colonies, $4,000 ap-
plications were received from various
parts Of Russia. The poorest We're
selected, making several thousand
more than anticipated.
On account of the rush OF appli-
cants, the governments plans for To-
eating Jews on the land are most op-
timistic.
The Jewish colonies now embrace
2s5.OO0 dessiatines {777.600 acres)
mostly comprising the old Jewish scol-
onies founded by Peter the Great.
promises SOC, 900 additional dessiatnes
1.620, 900 acres), including 10000 des
siatines (405 900 acreS) in the extreme
Iy fertile Volga River Valley.
Near Zaritzen. the government is
ready eventually to donate 100000
dessiatines G,400,00O acres), or suf1ici
snt for 100000 persons, which is one
fourth of all the Jews in Russia. The
committee plans making agricultnrists
Of only 10 per cent OF Russias jewish
population.
Except for its colonization activity
through Agrojoint, the American joint
distribution committee, which eNpend
ed close to f3, 900, 200 for Russian famine
relief. liquidates it's work in Russia al
the end of this year. The colonization
work promises to continue indefinitely
though the system OF requiring colo
nists to repay their loans as they be
come self-supporting, will begin to
repay the funds expended within two
years.
Live in Settlements.
After securing tracts, the govern
rnent permits Agrojoint full authority
in locating the colonists and full con
troll of its funds and supplies. The
great majority OF the colonists live In
communal settlements, though Agro
Joint does not discriminate against
those preferring to own their property
individually.
A table OF the years work from the
forthcoming report OF Comrade Gold
en-, director OF KuZnet, shows that
Ukrania has 75 settlements of sc, 42f
dessiatineS on which are settled 4, 4,11l
families; Crirnea has 28 settlements
totaling 2S,500 dessiatines. with 931
families. White Russia has S5 settle
lnents, totaling 10000 dessiatines, with
900 families. Gomel has Is settlements
totaling 2,411 dessiatines, with 246
tamilies-a total Of 203 settlements
totaling 1888 dessiatines, with 6,187
families.
OF these, 5,273 families. comprising
1888 persons, preferred communal
villages and agricultural work.
The cost Of locating families aver
ages $3.50 from the American organiza
lion, 400 rubles from the Soviet gov
ernment, and 400 rubles from the
family itself. Usually transportation
is provided at reduced rates, SO that
The overall cost per family is about
ETh0