President Estrada Cabrera's land policy has been directed especially to prevent great areas from being kept out of cultivation. He has dictated many measures with the purpose of breaking up the huge estates that often are uncultivated for want of capital and making them productive through the encouragement of small capitalists or farmers.
The general system of highways and cart roads as well as of the railroads has been devised for this purpose.
With regard to colonization and immigration the policy of securing the benefit of the favored soil to settlers has been indicated in the correspondence with various companies and individuals. In a report by the Director of Agriculture he declared that immigration from North America would be very pleasing to Guatemala and would strengthen the cordial relations existing between the two countries. That the immigrants will be well received he was assured. Their practical character would be especially valuable in developing the resources of the country. The Director, however, called attention to the fact that in many places of the country the geological conditions were not similar to the prairies of the United States where in the beginning very much could be accomplished on a large scale by machinery. In many of the districts open to settlement in Guatemala much of the work of clearing would have to be done by hand. That is one reason why encouragement is given to the individual settlers instead of to companies.
To broaden and strengthen the present immigration law the Department of Agriculture has recommended that certain lands be thrown open to settlement on the following conditions:
1. The government shall make the plan for the colony dividing the lands into lots of one caballeria (112 acres).
2. The settler shall take immediate possession of the lot which is granted him.
3. The government shall aid the removal of the colonists from their present place of residence to the point where they intend to settle. This aid to be extended under conditions which will insure its repayment.
4. The colonists on taking possession of their land shall obligate themselves to begin cultivating some of the following articles: rice, corn, beans, coffee, cacao, vanilla, rubber, cotton, hemp, etc.
5. The government shall designate from among the colonists some one who shall give general instruction with regard to the farming.