The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1946-10-04
Rural Aid
Up
BY HOWARD DoBsoN


Individual tenants and home
stead associations have bought
IS Of the original 81 projects,
and The rest are being push
ed out TO fcnd for themselves
as rapidly as sales can be ar
ranged.
The government spent $685.
100000 on the entire program,
and probably won't get half
that much back. In addition,
it loaned some money TO indi-
viduals and to projects for inn
provements. These loans are
being replaced by purchase
loans. Some were paid back
ahead of time.
Provided 3.135 Homes
However, the homesteads
were not built to make money.
They we're to provide homes,
and they have done so for g.,
1875 families.
AS che Department of Ag-
riculfure official explained
the idea recently, I'VE went
out 20 help those people help
themselves. They were people
who couldn't get credit al
private banks in the depres-
sion days.
1.-THE money we spent kept
them off relief rolls, and gave
work to Other people who
worked building the projects.
Now those communi les are
sustaining themselves. Not
one has folded up"
Opposed as 'Communizing'
The homestead plan was
widely attacked when tie pro-
jects were first propose. OPP
ponents in Congress were par
ticulaIy vehement, dee airing
the whole Il ing part of q plot
to "coAnnvnize" the farm areas
Of the country.
Echoes Of the battle were
heard around the capital last
spring when Congress passed
an agriculture bill including a
provision that the government
mus. dispose o. the homestcads
within three more years. One
house sponsor of that leg la
ton referred to the home
steads as the more objection,
able" of the governments va
rious rural projects.
The homesteads were start
ed dur re the depression years
of the early l930s as work re-
lief projects and were for low
income families. They range in
size from one-half to five
acres.
From that humble, hopeful
beginning, many of the pro-
jects have become hustling
communities with industries
managed comparatively by the
residents.
A Bureau Drawer Existence
In the meantime, the pro-
jects nave been passed around
from one government agency
to another like so many door
step babies. The Federal Pub
lie Housing Authority FPHA)
has them now and is dispos-
ing of them under a presiden-
tial order which was suspend
ed during the war.
FPHA has sold II to home
stead associations, leased sew
en- to tenants with options to
purchase, turned one over to a
Texas town and still operates
six.
The history of the home
steads goes back to the Ma
tional Industrial Recovery Act
of 1888. This act created the
Subsistence Homesteads Divi-
sion in the Department of In
terror.
In 1885 the projects were
transferred to the Resettle-
ment Administration, which in
1886 was placed under the De-
partment of Agriculture ana a
year later was gobbled up by
the Departments Farm Secur-
ity Administration. The home
steads were turned over TO
FPHA in 1912 for disposal.
Three Rivers Project
The oldest project is Three
Rivers Gardens at Three Riv-
ers, Tex. II opened in Janu-
airy, 1885, contained so homes
spreau over loo acres and cost
$l62,000.
Three Rivers Gardens also
was the first 20 be taken over
by the town at which it was
established. The town has the
homes, and the Federal Land
Bank is custodian of the title
to the project.
The youngsters of the fam
lily are the homesteads at
Ironwood. Mich and Tygart
Valley near Elkins. w. Va,
both of which opened in June,
1898. Ironwood is a Sf,373,- i
600 project of 100 homes on