A Stake in the Land Part 11

b. Irrigation of desert lands in the Southwestern states.

c. Drainage of swamp lands in the Southern states.

2. Forestry projects; permanent colonies for logging, milling, and reforestation of logged-off lands in the Northwestern states.

3. Colonization projects for an intensive cultivation of lands around smaller growing towns.

4. Colonization projects in Alaska for developing various extractive industries.

Action of some sort is eminently desirable in this country, especially in view of the fact that other countries have already taken steps to these ends.

PROVISION IN OTHER COUNTRIES

The settlement of soldiers on land has been a problem much considered in all of the warring nations. Although the plans are just only being tried out for the first time in many cases, they are suggestive of the trend that land-settlement laws are taking.

In 1918 a law was enacted in France "providing for the acquisition of small rural properties by soldier and civilian victims of the war. It provides in part for 'individual mortgage loans to facilitate acquisition, parceling out, transformation, and reconst.i.tution of small rural properties of which the value does not exceed 10,000 francs.' The loans are to be made from the agricultural lending societies at a rate of 1 per cent, with a term of twenty-five years. Advances for improvements are provided for and a special commission is appointed to administer the law."[14]

In the United Kingdom, as well as in the majority of its dominions and states, acts providing for land settlement for ex-soldiers have been pa.s.sed or formulated. Large sums of money have already been appropriated for the purchase, improvement, and development of land. In some cases the crown lands are to be used and in other private lands are to be bought. Table III indicates some of the general provisions of the legislation.

Over $133,000,000 has been appropriated and in two Australian states alone 2,060,000 acres have been set aside. The size of the individual holdings varies from 10 to 160 acres.

In some cases the land is given outright, in others the settler must help bear the cost of surveys and improvement. The third plan is that of a lease, usually with an option to buy, varying in different states.

Whatever the terms of settlement are, in most cases the ex-soldier can meet his obligations because of the easy terms by which he can borrow money from the government. Although the maximum amount is limited, the rate of interest is low in most cases and the term of years, with one exception, twenty years or more. Although some farming experience is required, in almost every law, there is provision for a demonstration farm. Here the prospective farmers can learn scientific farming, usually getting paid for their work in the interval.

TABLE III

SOLDIER SETTLEMENT PLANS FOR UNITED KINGDOM AND PROVINCES[15]

------------------------------------------+ | | | | Country Act | ------------------------------------------+ Dominion of Canada[16]| August 29, 1917 | ----------------------+-------------------+ Ontario | No. 150, 1916 | | | ----------------------+-------------------+ British Columbia |6 Geo. V. 59, 1916 | ----------------------+-------------------+ New Brunswick |6 Geo. V. 9, 1916 | ----------------------+-------------------+ Australia | 1917 Conference | ----------------------+-------------------+ New South Wales | No. 21, 1916; | | amended, 1917 | ----------------------+-------------------+ Victoria | October 22, 1917 | | | ----------------------+-------------------+ Queensland | 1917 | | | | | | | ----------------------+-------------------+ South Australia | 1916, 7, Geo. V. | ----------------------+-------------------+ New Zealand |6 Geo. V. 45, 1916;| | amended, 1917 | ----------------------+-------------------+ Tasmania |Geo. V. 20; 1916-17| | | | | ----------------------+-------------------+ United Kingdom |6 and 7 Geo. V., c | | 38 | ----------------------+-------------------+ Union of South | 1912; amended | Africa | 1917 | | | | | ------------------------------------------+

TABLE III--Continued

SOLDIER SETTLEMENT PLANS FOR UNITED KINGDOM AND PROVINCES[15]

------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Aid Given | |-------------------------------------------------+ | | | | | Maximum | | Interest | Country | Amount | Time | Per Cent | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ Dominion of Canada[16]| $2,500[A] |20 equal payments| 5 | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ Ontario | $500[B] | 20 years | 6 | | | | | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ British Columbia | [C] [B] | 20 years | 5 | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ New Brunswick |$500 to $1,500[B]| 20 years | 5 | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ Australia | [C] | [C] | [C] | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ New South Wales | $2,500 | Lease | 2-1/2 on | | | | capital | | | | value | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ Victoria | $2,500 | 31-1/2 years | 6 | | | | | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ Queensland |$2,500 buildings;| 40 years; 25 | 3-1/2 to 5; | | $3,500 | years; 10 | 1-1/2 on | | equipment |years; perpetual | capital | | | | value | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ South Australia | $2,400 | 21 years | 4 | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ New Zealand | [D] | | | | | | | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ Tasmania | $2,500 | 21 years | 3-1/2 to 5 | | | | | | | | | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ United Kingdom | | | | | | | | ----------------------+-----------------+-----------------+-------------+ Union of South | $1,250; $25 a | 3-1/2 years to | 4-1/2 | Africa | month to | 7 years. | | | families | | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------+

TABLE III--Continued

SOLDIER SETTLEMENT PLANS FOR UNITED KINGDOM AND PROVINCES[15]

------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | Acres a.s.signed | | |---------------------------------+ | | | | | | |Individual| Country | Appropriation | Total | Holdings | ----------------------+---------------+----------------------+----------+ Dominion of Canada[16]| $2,910,000 |Certain dominion lands| 160 | ----------------------+---------------+----------------------+----------+ Ontario | $5,000,000 | | 100 | | | | | ----------------------+---------------+----------------------+----------+ British Columbia | $500,000 | | | | annually | | 160 | ----------------------+---------------+----------------------+----------+ New Brunswick | | 20,000 | 10-100 | ----------------------+---------------+----------------------+----------+ Australia | $100,000,000 | | | ----------------------|---------------+----------------------+----------+ New South Wales | | 1,500,000 | | | | | | ----------------------+---------------+----------------------+----------+ Victoria | $11,250,000 |500,000 wheat-growing | | | | plus irrigated lands | | ----------------------+---------------+----------------------+----------+ Queensland | $50,000 | 560,000 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------+---------------+----------------------+----------+ South Australia | $220,000 | 10,000 | | ----------------------+---------------+----------------------+----------+ New Zealand | $3,000,000 | 270,000 | | | | | | ----------------------+---------------+----------------------+----------+ Tasmania | $750,000 | | 100 | | | | | | | | | ----------------------+---------------+----------------------+----------+ United Kingdom | $10,000,000 | | | | asked for | 60,000 | | ----------------------+---------------+----------------------+----------+ Union of South | [C] |Lands purchased not to| | Africa | |exceed $7,500 for each| | | | settler who provides | | | | one fifth of price | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------+

TABLE III--Continued

SOLDIER SETTLEMENT PLANS FOR UNITED KINGDOM AND PROVINCES[15]

------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | | | | | |Demonstration| | |Training| Farm |Capital Country | Tenure | Needed | Provided |Desirable ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------+--------- Dominion of Canada[16]| Free grant | Yes | Yes | Yes ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------|--------- Ontario | Patent given in | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 years | | | ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------+--------- British Columbia | Free grant | No | | ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------+--------- New Brunswick | Free grant | | Yes | Yes ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------+--------- Australia | | | | ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------+--------- New South Wales | Perpetual lease | Yes | Yes | Yes | | | | ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------+--------- Victoria | Purchase in | Yes | | Yes | 31-1/2 Years | | | ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------+--------- Queensland | Perpetual lease | | Yes | Yes | only | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------+--------- South Australia | Perpetual lease | | Yes | Yes ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------+--------- New Zealand | Lease 66 years, | | Yes | Yes | or freehold | | | ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------+--------- Tasmania | 99-year lease; | Yes | Yes | | or purchase | Yes | Yes | | after 10 years | | | ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------+--------- United Kingdom | Lease | Yes | Yes | | | | | ----------------------+-----------------+--------+-------------+--------- Union of South | Lease for 5 | | Yes | Africa |years and option | | | | of purchase, | | | | with 20 years | | | | to pay | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------

[9] Senate Bill No. 584, chap. 755.

[10] In co-operation with the Federal government.

[11] Compiled from ma.n.u.script given to the author by the Department of the Interior.

[12] Federal Reclamation Laws of the United States. House Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands, 66th Congress, 2d Session, Washington, D. C., 1920; chap. v, pp. 13-50.

[13] Reports of the Department of the Interior for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1920; vol. 1, p. 96.

[14] _Work and Homes for Our Fighting Men_, U. S. Reclamation Service, 1919 (pamphlet).

[15] Tabulated from table compiled by United States Reclamation Service, Work and Homes for Our Fighting Men, 1919, p. 20-21 (pamphlet).

[16] From Canada comes the news that at the end of January, 1921, 20,000 soldiers have taken farms, and that 42,000 of 59,000 applicants for land grants have been declared qualified and will soon get the land. Although the men have 25 years to pay off their land debt, several hundred have already paid in full. The Canadian soldiers have received 2,000,000 acres of farming land in government soldiers grants.

[A] Security required.

[B] In addition to Dominion advance.

[C] Amount not specified.

[D] Sufficient for clearing.

VII

A LAND POLICY

Most of the land-reform programs, beginning with those of the extreme conservatives, _laissez-faire_ theorists of various schools, and ending with those of the extreme radicals, anarchists, and socialists of various leanings, are primarily concerned with the question of land ownership.

WIDE RANGE IN PROGRAMS

These programs might be, in the main, cla.s.sified as follows:

I. Private land ownership:

A. Large-scale ownership, subject to no public interference.

B. Small-scale ownership, limited and regulated by public authority.

II. Public land ownership:

A. Secured by

1. Confiscation, by revolutionary action.