The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-12-30

Ever since we took over Puerto Rico. there has been a CoNGreS' StonAl law forhldatng any owner Go have Move than 800 acres, This has never been enforced, But after the PopNlareS assumed govern. mental control, tn lsal, . territorial land law was enacted authorizing the Government to take over large land holdings by making token pay Inents, and let the owners sue fol the actual value of the acreage
 The Government Is permitted C dispose of such appropriated lands either by sale in small parcels te individuals, or by lease for oESsra' ton on a percentage of-protat basis PROFIT. SHARING PLAN
 Senator MNnos Rivera outlined his idea Of collective farming ts this correspondent, but said that thus far 1t never has been trad out
 He would have large sugar plantations operated as units, un- der overseers, on such basis that the oversser,s annual return would ee Q percentage of the profits = perhaps lS--and the rest Of the profits would he distributed among the workers in addition to theil day wages,
 While the program Is not con- fined to sugar, that crop Ia by tas the most important.
 Coffee used to ee the leading cron, Hut Americans do not care for Puerto Rican cottee and Et' rope, which paid A premium prtcs for ik now Is cut on by the war.
 oltyus fruits once were mpor, tant, but the trees were desIoyee by hurricanes, and take long 70 re- place. The tobacco Is of the cieal type, and lost favor when cigarettes became the popular smokes,
 Sugar accounts for hall the em' ployment in Puerto Rico, It pays an average wage of si,So a day. si.se to field hands-as contrassee with the average of 55 cents Q gay paid hy tobacco, 5A cents by cot' fee, 7i cents by fruit growers,
 Four American mainland com panies control large share in th' sugar business. Those who wan to take over their properties argu' that the profits they take ava! would be of great henefit to Fuert Rico. It is generally accepted tna these profits run slightly under sS, boo, ,000 a year, which, it Is pointed out, is equivalent to only slS0 y.aar for eaeh Puerto Rican.
 NO EXPLOITATION
 Governor Tugwel has estimated that si75,000,000 would be reQuire' to finance the breaking up or tn biz estates by his program. m would represent the total revenu of the insular government Tor ! normal pre-war years.
 Exported dividends appear to con stitute the principal argument 2 the Tugwell-Munoz Marin tactloI There is no contention that !n sugar companies now are expioitin their workers particularly.
 Since 1884 there has been coilec tive bargaining in the sugar pusl ness. and wages have been booste' hv gO per cent. The union con tracts provide that the companie snail provide, free of charge, plot on which the workers can rais their own food, poultry and i've stock, but few have taken adVan tage of this privilege. ..
 The sugar companies went so "a as to plough land and donate ierti iizer and seeds and the use Of nm plements, to encourage their work CTS to grow food. In many in stances the seed was eater; in yer few 1t was planted. =
 To spread employment, the com panies have continued to use oxe' M in place of b:ss expensive ianC1 saving machinery, and have spn shifts into four hours each SO as ' enable more famjlies to get at ieas martial livings.