ation committees are often called upon to give their expert advice
in land matters even to the courts and government administrative offices.

But how far the association is successful in combating the underhand
business methods of the unscrupulous real-estate men is very difficult
to say. The fact is this, that the association favors public registry
and regulation of the real-estate trade and at present is working toward
that end, supporting bills of this nature that are introduced in the
state legislatures. A number of the realtors are not in favor of the
words "license" and "licensing." They prefer instead the words
"certificate," "registry," and "regulation," believing that the word
"license" is associated in the popular mind with saloon-keeping and
similar trades of a lower order.

The desire of these men to separate from ordinary real-estate men by
calling themselves "realtors" and their business a "profession," and
their advocacy of public regulation, show that the land "shark" is still
very much alive and that the real-estate men themselves by their own
private efforts are not able successfully to combat the "shark."

In the field of private land dealing there is appearing a substitute for
the individual dealer. The modern colonization company has recently grown
up, and out of this new project have grown broader policies and methods.

V

PRIVATE LAND COLONIZATION COMPANIES

The earlier so-called city and empire builders were in most cases nothing
more than dealers in land. When a lot or farm was sold, there the company's
interest ended. The modern colonization company goes much farther. When a
man settles on land, the company of the better type usually looks out for
him, backs him with credit, affords him the service of an expert
agricultural adviser, cares for his health, and promotes his social
interests and activities through a salaried community worker.

All this is done by the company not only for the sake of the settler
himself, but mainly for the sake of the business interests of the
company, since the success of the settlers on the company's land is the
best advertisement of the company's business. It creates confidence in
the company among the searchers for land and helps to increase the
volume of business and the profits. Such companies are of rather recent
origin and as yet are comparatively few in number. Their appearance
means specialization in the land-development business.

In the N