The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1951-08-17

ton ," he declared, but he went
on to say of problems that have been
developing since land was redistrib-
uted:
However, forced deliveries to the
Government at extremely low
prices have placed a burden on
the peasantry, which some OBJ
servers regard as almost equival-
emit to the high rents formerly
paid to landlords, so that wide
spread indebtedness on the part
of the peasantry may again be-
come problem"
Problems Arising in Japan
In pointing to some of the prob
lens that are beginning to trouble
the new owners, Arthur Raper, who
also worked for soap, recently as
serted:
"The uniform response of the new
owners in favor of continued
ownership was a bit surprising to
some officials in Tokyo, for they
pointed out that taxes had gotten
heavier, delivery of crops at
government prices had increased
and initiation had become more
burdensome; further than this;
there had been a marked decrease
in the black market of farm prod
ucts. All of these things were
making it increasingly difficult
for farmers to meet their ex-
penses. especially since they had
no choice but to continue to buy
many essential commodities on the
black market Rural Soci-
ology. March 1851.
In an article that appeared in the
Nay issue of the Journal of Farm
Mark B. Williamson, who
vas also with the General Head
quarters. soap, writes of an era of
accompanying land reform
n Japan but adds:
''This era, however, appears to be
approaching its end. With decreas-
ing effective prices and rapidly
increasing fertilizer and other
costs, farm income has declined
significantly during the past two
years. Farmers are finding it
more difficult to obtain funds
necessary for production opera
tions.
Admits Desirability of Land Reform
The UN report admits that the di-
iding up of large estates can be
eneficial if they are extensively
but it hastens to add:
"When large estates are intensive
ly cultivated and highly capital |
lied units of production, division
into small farms might have ad-
verse effects"
By respecting extensive farming and |
avoring intensive farming, the re-
ort seeks to justify, for example,
he plantation-type of production,
ven though it admits that the "plan-
alton system is everywhere unpopu-
ar" Nevertheless, it asserts, "the
vision of the plantations into small
arms would be likely to reduce
he volume of agricultural produe-
on." Thus, the report favors land
edistribtion only when it can in
rease the total output as a result
f more intensive methods of farm
lg.
ties FSA's Experience
The rigid application of such a
,rmula would not only shut the
DOR to land reform in the United
tates but also give encouragement
, those who, in the interest of "ef- Il
ciency," are insisting that big ag-
culture be allowed to swallow up
lie small farms. Yet, the UN report
self recognizes at one point that
lie efficiency of small farmers can
, markedly increased, and it says
{ the results achieved by the Farm
ecurity administration, which later
ecame the Farmers Home Admins
alton :
"The experience of the United
States Farmers Home Administra-
ton has shown that it is possible
for small farmers, given ade-
quate technical assistance and
credit to nroduce crons as for