Evening star., 1938-04-05
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field,
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS R. HENRY.

Maybe somebody will be pleased to
know that those modern economic bug
bears-holding companies and farm ten
ancy-also worried the politicians of
ancient Babylon.
There were even newdealish proposals,
which didn't get very far, to do some
thing about them.
To find the first recorded holding COM
pany-and it was far from a benevolent
one-it is necessary to go back 5000
years to a Mesopotamian city Of 10000
population called Nuzi, according to re-
searches just reported by DR.. Pierre M.
Purves, archeologist of the University OF
Chicago He has traced group Of 1000
clay tablets through four generations OF
one family. showing how vast estate
was accumulated by buying out peasants
who could not meet the so per cent in
terest rate charged on loans in those
days.
This group of Nuzi documents" re-
ports DR.. Purves disclose high-handed
operations in real estate through four
generations of the same family. The
later generations conducted their busi-
ness along the lines of holding COM
pany. The various branches of the FAM
lily ehClldllStO UcCQS dllo PoAS VI 4aAAN
for reasons best known to themselves.
thus deriving an unearned income by
renting out their vast holdings.
%ustice condoned these holding COM
panies and looked upon entrenched greed
with benevolence, for all law suits to
force this family to return parcels OF
land to descendants OF the original own
ers ended disastrously for the claim
ants"
Farm tenancy as a serious problem first
appeared in Babylon about 2,0OO years
later. according to DR.. Waldo H. Dub
berstein. also of the University OF Cm-
cage. Independent farmers, burdeneo
with various forms OF government mo-
nopoly of agriculture, became dependent
renters, serfs and slaves
Says Dr. Dubberstein: "The state con-
trolled large, fertile tracts, the temples
owned thousands of acres. and rev
large and successful business firms also
acquired land. Feudalism and flef tenure
existed in highly complicated and de-
veloped form. Small Independent land
owners remained to compete rather
poorly with these larger organizations.
Their equipment, taxes, gifts to the tenn
Piles, and possibly also their rent, took
most of their income while they eked
out a wretched existence. Rising rents
in cities seem to imply increasing num-
bers drifting into the metropolises and
a decline in agricultural pursuits
In reality, says DR.. Dubberstein. the
chief business of ancient Babylon was
farming. Commerce and trade, for
which the land is most noted in history,
really played minor role.
"Greek historians report" DR.. Dub
berstein says, that Babylonian grain
fields yielded an impossible 200-3O0 fold
return. Hot and relatively arid, the
country was irrigated on a complex
scale as early as 1000 years ago. The
centuries witnessed large and small Ca
nails covering the land as net work.
Water was so necessary that owners OF
the land removed from canal would
often give Is per cent Of their crops for
sufficient amount Of water to irrigate.
Mature deities, ultimately linked to
agriculture, always were worshiped.
Barley and dates were the two staple ag-
ricultural products, although onions,
peas, beets, green's and garlic were culti-
waited and consumed. The most popular
garden product was garlic, of which as
many as 395, 900 punches were sold at one
time"
Another archaeological report presented