82 INFORMATIOX RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY IX GENERAL 



somewhat low ; the reason for this being that nianj- appHcations were in 

 fact mere requests for information from correspondents in the armies who 

 wished, above all, to know on what terms they could become settlers af- 

 ter the war. 



But obstacles were constituted especialty b}" the insufhciency of build- 

 ing materials and the high prices of such as could be obtained, to say noth- 

 ing of the lack of labour for the building necessary'' to new farms and of ani- 

 mals for transport and labour. It was also verj^ difficult to procure live 

 stock and the right quantities of goods necessary to a farm, and when they 

 were obtainable the}' were dear. This almost impossibilit}^ of accomplish- 

 ing essential building on farms will prevent the extension of colonization for 

 some time longer. It is thought that the difficult}- may be met b}" erect- 

 ing only modest buildings which can be used provisionally, for the economic 

 strength of a settler must not be imperilled by suffering loim to incur too 

 heavy charges through the buildings on his farm. 



At the end of igi6 the Commission of Colonization had ceded 19,557 pro- 

 perties to be paid for by annual instalments, and 2,170 on lease, that is a to- 

 tal of 21,727 settlers' holdings. Of the leasehold settlers' holdings recently 

 formed 103 have not changed their condition, but the form of the others 

 has been altered so that they are now being bought by annual instal- 

 ments. The 21,727 holdings are distributed as follows, according to the ori- 

 gin of the .settlers occupying them : 



5,736 or 26.4 % — settlers emanating from provinces to be colonized ; 

 10,555 " 48-6 " " " " other parts of Germany ; 



5,436 " 25.0 " " " " abroad. 



The stock of land of which the Commission of Colonization disposed at 

 the end of 1916 extended to 59,172 hectares; and this could yield 30,100 

 hectares of colonizable land on which about 2,500 settlers' holdings could be 

 formed. 



Since it has come into existence 308,984 hectares have been ceded to 

 the commission under the law on colonization : 31,375 hectares have been 

 employed on objects of public utilit}', such as roads, the sites of churches and 

 schools ; 52,497 hectares have been sold to the State domains, the State 

 forest administration and persons other than settlers ; and 9,675 hectares 

 have been reserved to ser\^e as adjuncts to land already- colonized or.as 

 building sites. Out of a total area of 461,633 hectares, 402,531 hectares or 

 87.2 per cent, have thus been employed for purposes other than coloniza- 

 tion. 



In 1916 no new plans for colonization were drawn up. 



As to the commission's building activit}' this has purposely been kept 

 within modest limits. Efforts have been almost confined to the erection 

 of buildings on the properties to be paid for by annual instalments or held 

 on lease. As regards new buildings we have to notice only three, construct- 

 ed for objects of public utility, which cost 68,500 marks, and fifty-two built 

 for individuals at a cost of 664,500 marks. The total expenditure on build- 



