Chapter 157 Government Action

After the cabinet meeting, the Greek government issued a population policy: Greek families with four or more children will receive a child subsidy of 50 drachmas per month until these children reach the age of 18.

At the same time, an administrative order to encourage land reclamation was issued - the Land Grant Decree. From now on, after Greeks reclaim wasteland, as long as the area does not exceed 2 hectares and they have been cultivated for 5 consecutive years, the ownership of these cultivated lands will belong to the reclaimers.

These lands are not limited to wastelands in Greece, but also include the newly acquired parts of Macedonia, Epirus, and Albania, especially the marsh wetlands along the coast of Albania.

With the government's reforms, the Greek government was given the right to tax the rich, and its finances were greatly guaranteed, and the government also made great moves.

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In an ordinary olive grove on the Peloponnese Peninsula.

"Dad... Dad"

Ancarles ran excitedly into the olive grove, waving a government leaflet in his hand, leaning back and shouting to his father who was standing on a wooden ladder, picking olives with his head tilted up: "Government leaflet"

Molaydinis looked down at his excited son, wiped the sweat off his face, and asked in confusion: "Ancarles, what's the matter?"

"The government leaflet said that veterans are encouraged to go to Albania to reclaim wasteland," Ancarles handed the leaflet in his hand to his father and explained.

"What are you talking about? Albania? You are alone, the mountains are high and the roads are long. What land can you reclaim in Albania? It's good enough if you don't starve to death." While speaking, he leaned over and handed the wooden basket in his hand to Ancarles, and walked down the A-shaped ladder.

"Do you think it's easy to reclaim wasteland? When you get to those barren mountains and wilderness, you hold a hoe. How many years can you reclaim a piece of arable land?" Moraidinis blamed.

"Don't think about it. I'll go to the shipping companies in Piraeus Port with you after I finish picking the fruits in the olive grove in the next two days. In previous years, these companies needed a lot of seafarers and the salary was good. You can go overseas to try your luck."

Ancarles, now 19 years old, responded to the government's call and joined the army in the war of 1896.

After the war, he had no intention of developing in the army, so he took a military pension of 500 drachmas and retired for two months.

"I didn't go alone. Under the management and organization of the army, we went to Albania together and worked together to reclaim the wasteland," Ancarles explained to his father.

In order to take care of the army, under the planning of Constantine, the general staff of the army planned to organize the retired soldiers who had no other jobs to go to Albania to reclaim wasteland.

Not only can it increase the local Greek population and dilute the number of MSL, but it can also effectively develop the land in Albania.

At the same time, the four nobles who were previously enfeoffed in Greece, their noble fiefs, ranging from one thousand acres to two thousand acres, are all in Albania.

Organizing retired soldiers to open up wasteland together also has another purpose, which is to imitate the advanced experience of Western Europe and organize agricultural cooperatives.

After entering the 19th century, the industrial revolution brought advanced agricultural production technology, and traditional agriculture also changed.

Due to insufficient strength, some small and medium-sized farms in Greece generally need to increase production, improve agricultural production technology, and maintain agricultural product prices in order to cope with foreign competitors.

Due to unequal strength, some businessmen always intend to purchase agricultural products at low prices, while selling seeds and tools to small farmers at high prices.

Therefore, these small and medium-sized farmers are in urgent need of uniting to fight for common interests.

Greece organized soldiers to open up wasteland this time, and also had the purpose of exploring the experience of modern agricultural cooperatives.

Hearing his son say that the reclamation was organized by the army, Moraidinis's face eased a little.

The second son, Ancarles, was already 19 years old. According to tradition, his main property should be inherited by the eldest son. The youngest son, Ancarles, sponsored a sum of money and went out to start a family business.

On December 21, 1897, Ancarles, organized by the General Staff, and other companions, took a boat to the port of Vlora.

Under the organization of the retired lieutenant, Degorios, Ancarles and 500 companions got off the boat.

The next morning, everyone lined up, carrying shovels on their shoulders and pulling two draft horses, and walked out of Vlora.

About ten minutes later, the captain who led the way took everyone to a stream and asked everyone to put down their tools.

Ancarles looked at the lush forests around him, bewildered, "Captain Degorios, is this our destination?"

"Haha, Ancarles, what do you think we are here for? We are here to open up new land," said the bearded Degorios, patting the bewildered Ancarles on the shoulder.

Ancarles was indeed caught off guard. He originally thought that the destination would be a remote village, but he did not expect it to be in the wilderness.

Seeing that everyone was helping to put things away, Ancarles walked curiously into the sparse woods, only to feel his feet soften. At first, he thought it was a thick layer of fallen leaves on the ground, until his shoes felt wet and he looked down, only to find that the ground under his feet was overflowing with black muddy water.

"Hey, how come there is water underground?" Angelis was surprised.

"This is the coastal swamp of Albania, how could there be no water?" Captain Degris watched Angelis enter the woods, worried that he would fall into the mud, so he followed him.

While speaking, he reached out and pulled Angelis back.

"Don't enter the woods casually. If you accidentally fall into the mud, it will be fatal if no one helps you." Angelis, who was in his thirties, had learned about these situations from the army's notice before setting off.

"Due to the obstruction of leaves and weeds, it looks like hard ground on the surface, but it is actually very dangerous."

"But, Lieutenant, how can such land be used for farming? Are we in the wrong place?" Angelis asked curiously.

Degorios took Angeles to a draft horse, patted the water pump on it, and said: "Why did the military give us these water pumps? It is to drain these swamps so that we can farm."

At this time, two young men came over with a wooden box in their hands. Angeles went forward to take a look. There were 20 to 30 chicks in the paper box and two piglets in the wooden box.

Degorios unloaded the water pump from the horse and said: "We must speed up the progress. The military has a policy to support us. A regiment stationed in Vlora will buy food from us first in the future."