294 MISC. PUBLICATION 218, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
government are not progressively reduced in a decadent community, 
and some costs, such as poor relief, may actually increase. Moreover, 
there are often debt obligations, incurred in more flourishing times, 
which must be met. 
The problem is not limited to the cut-over regions. There are 
decadent agricultural regions in New England, in New York, in the 
Appalachian Highlands, and in other parts of the country where the 
prevailing type of political organization is too complex and too costly 
to fit either the requirements or the resources of a sparse and dwindling 
population. The perpetuation of governmental machinery designed 
to serve a denser and more flourishing population imposes a needlessly 
heavy burden on the surviving taxpayers. There are towns in New 
England where there are not enough qualified voters to hold the public 
offices, and not infrequently half or more of the resident taxpayers of 
a town are on the public pay roll. The superabundance of offices 
means that they involve very little work, carry no dignity, attract 
only mediocre men, and usually degenerate into vehicles of political 
patronage or, at best, gratuities to be dispensed in rotation. 
It is obvious that under these conditions the temptation is strong 
to take advantage of the nonresident landowners. If they are not 
deliberately discriminated against, they at least are victims of a 
needlessly costly and grossly inefficient local government. 
The logical remedy for the conditions just described is the dis- 
organization of some of the smaller units of government in such areas 
and the administration of the few necessary governmental services 
directly by the State, or at least by the county. Fortunately, a long 
and thorough-going demonstration has been made of the benefits to 
be realized and the economies to be effected by such an arrangement. 
This demonstration is provided in the experience of the unorganized 
territory of Maine. While the fortunate situation which obtains in 
this area is perhaps more attributable to the accidents of history than 
to political foresight, this fact does not lessen its value as a demon- 
stration. It is an arrangement which, if it could not be duplicated, 
could at least be approximated in less extended areas and it therefore 
deserves a full description. 
AN EXAMPLE FROM THE UNORGANIZED TERRITORY OF MAINE 
The unorganized territory of Maine occupies nearly one-half of 
the area of the State and, with a few exceptions, consists of a con- 
solidated, though somewhat irregular, area. While there is some 
unorganized territory in 11 of the 16 counties, the large contiguous 
block in the northern part of the State lies in 6 counties, and most of 
it in 4. Since the county is in Maine a relatively unimportant unit, 
this vast area is virtually under no local political organization. 
In most respects the 366 townships, 162 islands, and 20 miscellaneous 
survey divisions embraced within the area are administered directly 
by the State government. Property is assessed by the board of State 
assessors, and taxes are levied by the State legislature and collected 
by the State treasurer. The State provides forest-fire protection and 
all necessary school facilities. The county provides only police pro- 
tection and courts and some supervision over roads and bridges. 
Towns and plantations once organized may be disorganized by legis- 
lative action, though generally the approval of the county delegation 
is obtained. Disorganization is infrequent, only 5 plantations and 1 
a iar 
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