The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1936-01-09

American war in 1898, Puerto Rico is
now the most thickly settled agricul-
-tural region under Uncle Sans rule.
Yet holdings of agricultural land are
concentrated to an extent that has
proved itself harmful to the industry
as a whole and has reduced the small
owner to state approaching economic
slavery.
Although congress, as far back as
1900, foresaw the lowering evil of con-
centration of ownership and passed
law which limited corporate holdings
to 500 acres, the law was never en-
forced. Millions in American capital
rolled in, to become the foundation for
plantations, until today holdings of
more than 500 acres include more than
a third of the area under cultivation,
although they constitute only Z per
cent of the total holdings. So serious
has this situation become for the small
farmer, hundreds of families from mod
est farms have been forced to give up
and move into the cities, there to take
up their dwelling in the most made
nnatn anG nnconitoru of hnunls onns+i-
quate and unsanitary of novels, cOnSti-
tuting threat to political peace, an
addition to the already difficult unem-
ployment problem and potential
source of diseases which spring from
poverty and uncleanliness.
President Roosevelt, visiting the is
land in 1884, was impressed by the
evil of this unlawful concentration and
declared that he would revive both
the spirit and the letter of the law
of 1900. and found upon it the return
of Puerto Rico to a sound agricultural
economy.
The Presidents interest took form
in the PRRA, but this organization was
slow In getting started with it's work
and it was not until couple of months
ago that it began to take definite,
measurable shape On December 1,
1885, the PRRA had enrolled $500 re-
lief workers and 800 non-relief work
ers from which date $500 employees,
selected from the relief rolls as far as
possible, were to be added each week
until what was considered an adequate
staff had been assembled
Funds Fall Short.
Under the direction of Ernest Gruen-
ing, head of the division of territories
and island possessions Of the United
States Department of the Interior, the
PRRA was to complete operations the
cost of which has been estimated at
S157, 100000 Doctor Gruening has
been faced with the rather discourag-
ing fact that his organization has been
given only S64OO0,O00 so far, his prof.
ects having had to take reduction aft
er reduction In finances.
In the face of these rather funda-
mental annoyances, the program cut
out for Doctor Gruening and the PRRA
is nothing if not an ambitious one
One Of the first things to be done Is
clearing the slums of the cities and
solving the housing problems of the
farm families who have been forced
to seek the centers of population to
make sure of getting something to eat
usually from relief agencies) This
calls for s2,2O0,OOO.
Coffee and tobacco Industries In the
hills which dot the island everywhere.
as well as sugar plantations on the
coastal plains and the more infrequent
inland lowlands, have suffered from
centuries of soil erosion, with resultant
impairment of efficiency. Reforesta-
ton, forestation and preventive meas
ures against soil erosion will be
started to the tune of $780,. 900 Most
of the topsOil has been washed away
from large areas, and many of the
trees which were not cut have been
destroyed by hurricanes-those OF
1928 and 1892, which took 200 lives
each, as well as the more recent ones.
which wreaked such havoc along the
Floridan shores
Another aid to the farmer will be
the rural Identification project, tiny
counterpart of similar projects so dear
TO the heart of the administration on
the mainland. This, to cost So. 7oS, 900.
will provide hydro electric power to
irrigate land. especially that on the
wide southern coastal plain where the
rainfall is far below the average Of