Evening star., 1925-07-25
LARGE ARGENTINE
AREAS COLON|zED
Government Makes Possible
Rapid Growth of Land
Under Cultivation.

Existing national agricultural col
ontes in Argentina occupy an area OF
1,424,123 hectares, and other agricul-
tural colonies provided for in the de-
cree Of July IL, 1921, cover 1.750,757
hectares, almost completely settled
and for the large part cultivated, ac-
Cording to the official bulletin of the
Pan-AmeriCan Union.
Since the provisions concerning
colonization contained in the law of
October 10, 1876, have been revoked,
says Engineer Julio G.. Nelardez, in
report written for the bulletin, what
may be properly called official col
oniZation in Argentina has disap-
peared.
THE colonization which goes on to-
day on arabic lands which are state
property no longer has the character
of a colonization promoted, encour-
aged and supported by the govern
ment, but rather that of spontaneous
colonization, tolerated at first and later
iegalized by the government through
the subdivision of the land already
cultivated and its concession on liberal
terms to its cultivators and occu-
pants"
The process of forming these col
onies is as follows: When arabic pub
lie lands are available for economic
development by the construction of
railways and roads which provide an
outlet for the products they are i'm
fnediately occupied by squatters, who
settle in such locations as not to
be in one another's way and so that
when the subdivision takes place each
one viii continue to occupy a farm of
100 hectares in extent. When colo
MES have been formed in this way
the occupants cultivate the land and
Introduce an appreciable amount of
capital in fixed improvements, such
as homes and outbuildings, wire
fences, wells, etc.
Retain Their Farms.
When this situation has arisen it is
necessary for the development of the
new colony. as wen as for the coun-
try, that the government legaliZe the
situation of these settlers by official
creation of the colony and the conces-
sion of the farms to their respective
holders. II is in this way that most
of the agricultural colonies have been
formed which today exist in full ac-
tivity in the national territories, es-
pecially in the North.
An executive decree providing for
the foundation of agricultural and pas
toral colonies and towns within a total
area of 7,647,0 ,057 hectares, instead of
providing for the creation of such col
Onies, in reality merely gives them a
legal status, thus legalizing the sit
uation of thousands of settlers. who
by honest labor have transformed the
desert into rich farm lands. One hec-
tare is equal to 2.47 acres.
A majority of the settlers. on public
lands proceed from older colonies in
the same region, where the increase of
the family obliges the older married
sons to leave the parent colony to
found their homes elsewhere and work
out an Independent future. This is
the case. for instance, in the colonies
of the central zone of Ell Chaco, where
a high percentage of the inhabitants
{ are sons of colonists living in the
northern part of Santa Fe, and more
especially in the old 'Reconquists"
and "Avellaneda" colonies.
The decree of 1906 provides that the
government shall grant to the colonist
a tract of 100 hectares st a price
varying between 10 and Is pesos per
hectare, payable in six annual INSTALL
ments; the buyer is obliged to occupy
and develop his tract in person, to
fence the boundaries with wire. to
construct house of baked brick or
reinforced concrete, with outbuildings.
and to cultivate the ground to the
extent which in each case the exec
utive power shall fix, but which gen
orally is a fifth of the area. When
these obligations have been complied
with and the price of the land full.
paid, the government gives the col
onist final title TO the property.
In Irrigated Zones.
These provisions apply to all ma
tional agricultural colonies with the
exception of those situated in irrigated
zones, which are governed by special
regulations, the principal characteris
tic of which is the fixing of the price
of the land. In those colonies where
there is irrigation or which need ir-
rigation the price of a hectare varies
from 80 to 80 pesos national currency
This price, however, is reduced to 215
pesos, provided the coloniSts form
cooperative organization for irriga-
ton which supplies total or partial
irrigation for the colony, and provided
each concession holder subScribes to
as many shares as the number of hec-
tares in his holding, each share having
a value equal to that of a hectare of
land in the colony in question. Such
provisions rule in the colonies in the
Rio Negro Valley
The Jewish Colonization AsSc-ria-
ton, a powerful institution founded
IN Europe by Baron de Hirsch, began
its activities in Arge>ltina in 1892
N'+iiNC tIie1I heiIC tic dSSOCIdIlOn mas
bought, with view TO colonization,
already realized in large part, 5S9 ,234
hectares in the Province of Buenos
Aires, Santa Fe, Entire Rios and San
tiago del EStero and in the Territory
of La Pampa.
Under the association plan the land
IS sold to the colonist at the price
paid by the association, plus the cost
of surveying, transfer of title, CON
struction of route, irrigation canals
etc. The colonist receives an advance
of 1000 pesos for the construction of
mis- house, the establishment of his
family and the purchase of necessary
materials.
Colonists Show Thrift.