CZECH TAKE FORWARD STEP IN AGRICULTURE

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6850, 4 March 1929, Page 9

CZECH TAKE FORWARD STEP IN AGRICULTURE

OVER 500,000 FAMILIES OBTAIN GRANTS OF LAND, MOSTLY SMALL LANDOWNERS PLAGUE, Jan. 30. Although a highly industralised state, especially as far as the Province of Bohemia is concerned, Czechoslovakia is increasingly occupied with the importance of agriculture, It is highly significant that the Agrarians aro the most powerful political party in Parliament. Slovakia and Sub-Carpathian Russia are as yet largely agricultural, because of lack of good communications with tho capital, and other parts, and because of the competition of the highly developed Bohemian industries. At first sight, the threefold increase in the mortgage burdens on agriculture since 1915 would seem to indicate a crisis; but this is in no way borne out by facts, since the mortgages represent investments to recover from the-war-time losses, and loans to co-operate lending associations. In theso latter there is an eightfold increase of late vears.

The Land Reform activities have been concentrated this year chiefly in Slovakia. Over 500,000 families have benefited by grants of land, 77 per

cent, of them being small landowners, and only 23 per cent, residential domains. It is claimed that proportionately with their numbers the German demands for land have been fairly dealt with. With the acquirement by the state last year of tho vast Saxo-Coburg-Gotlia estates in Slovakia the last big foreign landowner has come under the scope of the Land Reform Act.

Of the land still to be apportioned over 1,600,000 hectares are purely forest land .The “Forest Reform” differs from the “Land Reform” in that, preference is given in the apportioning of land to public bodies rather than to individuals, tho policy being to keep intact as far as possible tho present forest tracts, to prevent ruthless felling ef timber, and destruction of beauty spots.