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

rural population of 264 million
(total population $40 million)
about $40 of the total rural
population of China, to be brought
under the new law"
Korean Land Problems
Until very recently" the report
declares, Korean agriculture was
characterized by a marked concentra-
ton of the ownership of land" 1t
explains:
about half the farmers were land
less and almost another third had
dwarf holdings which they were
forced to supplement by renting
land. Rents were high, averag-
ing SIS to 500 of the product,
while the expenses of cultivation
were usually met by the tenant"
After World War II, the Korean
people naturally expected that the
lands seized by Japan, comprising
nearly half of the farm land in Ko-
rea, and also the lands held by quis-
ling-landlords would be redistributed
in an equitable manner. The UN
report states:
'In North Korea the land reform
of March 1916 distributed g.
100000 acres taken from the es-
tates of landlords and rich peas
ants to 725,00O landless peasants
and small holders E. -
Discusses South Korea
In South Korea, the UN report de-
clares that Gin June 1949, Land
Reform Law was passed." and though
it indicates that some land reform
was carried out, George M. McCune,
in his book, Korea Today, which is
cited by the report as an authorita-
tive source for other data, said of
this law that ''as late as October
1919" it was mot being enforced at
ALL" So hostile was President Syng-
man Rhee to the law that the South
Korean legislators who insisted upon
re-enacting it over his veto were |
either thrown into Jail or else had
to flee for their lives. Rhee's attitude |
toward land reform was set forth at
the end of last year by the u. S. News
and World Report which quoted him
as saying:
1--WE were beginning land reform
in the South when the war be-
began. This land reform law will
be extended to the North
l. Al |
land given to tenants and re-
turn it to the landlords"
Land Reform in Japan
Owing to the tight censorship that
General Macarthur installed in ia
pan only the most glowing and one
sided accounts of his land reform
program have been allowed to get
through the military censors. Unfor-
the UN Economic and So
,ial Council made no investigation of
is own and throws no new light on
he subject.
Aside from quoting from official
documents put out by the General
Headquarters of the Supreme Com
nander for the Allied Powers, the
eport does no more than to cite a
,aper presented to the National Farm
institute in Des Moines by Laurence
-. Hewes, Jr., who was himself on
he staff of the soap in Tokyo.
n a recent article Hewes expressed
lis opinion of japanese land reform
n these uncritical terms:
"All Americans can be proud of :
the part which their Occupation ]
personnel have played in guild
ing the Japanese Land Re-
form Program to it's successful
conclusion. This S i n i t
achievement can serve as a model {
for all of Asia."-Nationa I'm
ion Farmer, March 1851.
May Be Premature
The flat assertion that land re-
orm in Japan has already reached a
successful conclusion" would seem
0 be premature, especially when it
recognized that 416 of the pres
mt "owner-operators" have hold
lgs of less than 1.2 acres.
In a recent memorandum to the
IN Rr1no TaSker wal1-knOwn OH