Evening star., 1932-12-20
FARM POPULATION
NEAR 1910 PEAK
Many Leave Cities to Seek
Plenty of Food and
Shelter.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The powerful magnet of three square
meals day and comfortable place to
sleep has lured so many persons from
the citys bright lights that the Ma
tons farm population is approaching
the record breaking 32,000,000 estab-
liShed in 1910.
So rapidly has the city-to- farm move
ment continued during the last three
years that Department of Agriculture
experts believe the number living on the
sell at the end of this year will bo
only slightly below the peak figure.
While there is large normal flow of
population to and from the farms. the
accelerated drift countryward in recent
years was attributed by the department
to economic conditions. Behind the
city dWellers' decision to leave, officials
said lay the belief that they could at
least obtain living on farm.
Until 1880 the drift was toward the
cities, but in that year 416,000 more
persons went to the farms than the
number leaving. Last year the total
swelled to 656,000 and for the first three
months of this year the net farm gain
was 263,000.
$780,, 900 Total Likely.
Department estimates placed the
total farm population on April /, the
latest date for which a compilation has
been made, at 31.5o4 0OO If the gain
made this year should equal that for
1931-and officials say this is possible
the total would be 81 ,897 900.
The first impetus to the increased
farm population resulted from the de-
ciSion of young men and women then
living in the country not to leave home"
Theo B. Nanny, of the departments
division of farm population, explained
Then there was large number Of
young people in the city who lost their
jobs. They were unable to find work
and SO decided to return to Pa and Ma
or other relatives on the farm to live
Many Of them, having had taste of
city life. probably will remain on the
farms.
Another contributing factor was the
return of colored people who had gone
to the city to work. They lost their
jobs, could find no work, and so went
back to the plantations. A large group
OF men getting up in years who have
been displaced by younger workers,
have found refuge in the country Some
of them had saved up some money and
bought farms. Immigrants also ac-
counted for some of the increase"
In the main. many said. the new
corlers are making out very we'll. But
he added he had seen number who
were in great distress-"but no more so
than if they had remained in the city"
Opposes L. S. Action.
Meantime Representative Baldridee
sees no sense in trying to send people
back to the farms when agricultural
relief plans center on how to reduce
the present output of farms"
So when the bill by Representative
Black, Democrat. New York, to create
a Federal committee to guide back
to-the-farm" movement came before
the House, Baldridge blocked its passage.
That's backing into relief, if it's
giving any relief at al, the Nebraska
Republican said.
Yes. but it would ct least give the
people wE-o went to the farms some
thing to eat" Black replied.
Have you ever tried to get anybody
in q bread line to go cut on farm?"
Beldridge asked.
Yes. and they don't know where to
60" Black answered. That's one of
tha things this committee would do
advise people where 10 go"
The committee Black proposed would |
comprise the Secretaries of Labor, Ag- |
riculture and Interior the Farm Loan
commissioners and the director of the
Presidents Organization on Unemploy- |
ment Relief