FROM FARM TO CITY.

Putaruru Press, Volume IV, Issue 127, 8 April 1926, Page 2

FROM FARM TO CITY.

DRIFT INCREASING. Not Confined to New Zealand. The drift from farms to cities is evidently not confined to New Zealand. American statistics taken over a number of years reveal the fact that this economic phenomenon may be regarded as a barometer indicating the degree of,prosperity in primary production. The farm population of the United States decreased approximately 182000 during 1924, according to estimates based on a survey of 25,000 representative farms mjade recently by the United States Department of Agriculture. This is a drop of .6 per cent during that year, the estimated farm population on January 1, 1925, being 31,134,000 compared with 31,316,000 on January 1, 1924. This estimate includes not only the agricultural workers but all men, women, and children living on farms at that date. The movement from farms to cities, towns and villages in 1924 is estimated at 2,0 75,000; the movement to farms was 1,396,000, making a net movement from the farm population of 679,000 persons, or 2.2 per cent. Births among the farm population during 1924 are estimated at 763,000, and deaths at 266,000, which reduced the loss due to the cityward movement to 152.000 or .6 per cent. A similar estimate made in 1922 showed a loss in farm production of 460,000 as against 152,000 in 1924. Ihe gross movement from farms to cities in 1922 was 2,000,000 compared with 2,075,000 in 1924 a slight increaseThe gross movement back to the farms in 1922 was 880,000 compared to 1,396,000 in 1924, a very decided increase. The net movement from farms to cities in 1922 was 1120,000 or 3.6 per cent and in 1924, 697,000 or 2.2 per cent.