let, give as security, exchange, or alienate in any manner, directly or indirectly, the said lot, house, or improvements.

ART. 34. Immigrants will be transported free of charge to the nucleus. ART. 35. Immigrants arriving for the first time at the nucleus will be given, free of charge, seeds and tools, such as hoes, spades, picks, axes, and scythes. ART. 36. During the first six months from the date of their arrival at the nucleus and until the harvest and sale of their produce, immigrants coming from abroad and settled as owners of lots shall, when necessary, be granted means for the maintenance of their families.

ART. 37. For the space of one year, under the same conditions as in the foregoing article, all immigrants will receive medical attendance and medicines free of charge. This period may be prolonged at the discretion of the administrator of the nucleus.

ART. 38. Stores or depots, where foodstuffs and other articles of prime necessity will be sold at moderate prices, will be established in the nucleus colonies to guarantee supplies for the population; the immigrants being absolutely free to buy these goods for their own account wherever they like.

ART. 39. During the first year after their installment, or for a longer period if Government so decides, aid may be given, for such immigrants as desire it, for the purchase or hiring of agricultural implements and machinery, live stock and vehicles necessary for the cultivation of the lots, preparation and transport of the produce.

ART. 40. The price of the lots, with or without house, when the same are purchased on the installment system, as well as any aid granted, except for work done or classed as gratuitous, shall be written in a book and handed to the debtor in the form of a current account, and shall constitute the debt of the immigrant for which the head of the family is responsible. He shall begin amortization by yearly installments not later than at the end of the second year after his establishment. After this date, if no payment has been made, interest will be charged at the rate of 3 per cent per annum on the installments due.

§ 1. When the nucleus is situated on or near railways, or rivers navigated by steamers, the period for amortization shall be five years, counting from the first day of the third year of the installment of the immigrant; in other cases, or when Government deems it advisable, the period will be eight years under the same conditions.

§ 2. The immigrant who pays his debts in advance will have a right to a rebate at the rate of 12 per cent per annum on installments that are outstanding. $3. The immigrant who pays the full value of the lot will immediately receive a definite title to the same, even though he has still other debts outstanding contracted with the administration of the nucleus.

ART. 41. In the event of the decease of the head of the family, in whose name the provision or definite title had been drawn up, the lot will pass to his heirs or legal representatives on the same conditions on which he himself held it.

If the nucleus has not yet been emancipated, the transfer will be made by an official order of the administration without any legal intervention.

ART. 42. Any debt which the deceased head of the family had contracted with the nucleus will be considered extinct if he leaves a widow and orphans, save that arising from the purchase of the lot on the installment system.

ART. 43. If the lot was purchased on the installment system and the deceased had already paid at least three installments, the remainder will be remitted in favor of the widow or orphans and a definite title granted.

ART. 44. Government will maintain free primary schools and will organize exhibitions and fairs of agricultural and industrial produce in the nucleus colonies, if deemed expedient.

ART. 45. Prizes will be offered for the reward of producers who most distinguish themselves at the exhibitions or in any other way.

ART. 46. Where the nucleus is intended for foreigners, not more than 10 per cent of the lots may be sold to Brazilians, but when in a nucleus the number of lots held by foreigners is 300 or more a special area near the lots will be set aside for Brazilian agriculturists, if deemed advisable

ART. 47. In States or districts, where hitherto no colonies or nucleus colonies of foreign agriculturists have existed, the Federal Government may adopt special measures, when necessary, to guarantee the first nucleus under conditions favorable to its development so that it may serve as a center of attraction for the establishment of an increasing number of immigrants.

ART. 48. Each nucleus will be regulated according to special rules made with a view to the peculiarities of the locality and the needs which may arise.

ART. 49. The emancipation of the nucleus colonies will be granted by Government as soon as the immigrants settled therein require no further aid.

CHAPTER III. Concerning nucleus colonies founded by the States in conjunction with the union.

ART. 50. The union may bring in immigrants who, under the protection of the States, are to be settled as owners in nucleus colonies, which the state governments propose to found at their own expense, or by contract with land owners after the favorable conditions of the colonies, their hygienic condition, the good quality of their soil, and the works of preparation are approved.

ART. 51. The union may grant aid to such States as found nucleus colonies under their own direct administration in accordance with the following article and the budgetary resources at its disposal.

ART. 52. The foundation of nucleus colonies under the direct administration of the State and with the aid of the union will be in accordance with the conditions laid down in this chapter, with special regard to the following:

I. The State will choose the locality which it judges favorable from the point of view of health, cultivation, production, safety, facility of communication, and cheap transport, and shall submit its choice, together with the general plan of the colony, including the type of the houses and other necessary information, for the approval of the Federal Government, in order that the union may give a grant in aid.

II. When the choice and plans have been approved, the State will make all the necessary preparations.

III. When all necessary work has been carried out so as to guarantee the convenient transport and the regular installment of immigrants and their families on lots exactly measured out and defined, in accordance with the approved plan, the union will, at its own expense, bring in the immigrants to be settled at the expense of the State, the latter being free to choose them by means of persons especially appointed for this purpose.

IV. All services of the nucleus will be at the cost of the State.

V. The union will help the State to the extent of 25 per cent on all money which it has actually expended for the foundation of the nucleus, provided that this does not exceed 800$000 for each foreign family settled.

The payments made by the union will be in three installments:

(a) The first, up to 250$000, per house, of the type accepted by the Federal Government, erected on a rural lot; (b) The second, also up to 350$000, when the immigrant and his family have taken possession of the lot and have received either the provisional or definite title to the same; (c) The third and last, not to exceed 300$000, according to the valuation made by the federal official appointed for this purpose, when the immigrant and his family have been established on the lot for six months.

ART. 53. On nucleus colonies in receipt of union aid the percentage of lots set aside for Brazilians may not exceed 10 per cent of those reserved for foreign agriculturists.

Aid granted for the settling of each family of Brazilian colonists may not exceed 500 000 maximum, payable in installments in accordance with sections (a) and (b) of No. V of the preceding article, after the settling of foreign families, according to the percentage above mentioned.

Without union aid the State may form, with any number of lots it pleases, areas close by intended for Brazilians.

ART. 54. Titles to the lots will be given by the state officials in accordance with the law.

ART. 55. Of the amount produced by the sale of lots, 75 per cent will belong to the States, except in case of agreements with regard to land sold by private individuals to immigrants or colonies, whilst the remaining 25 per cent will be handed over to the union for the help which it has granted.

ART. 56. The State alone may collect debts contracted by the immigrants with the nucleus.

ART. 57. Nucleus colonies founded by States with union aid must be regulated according to the rules adopted by the latter.

ART. 58. When it is deemed useful to construct a railway to link up fallow lands, which may be colonized, or nucleus colonies with railway stations, consuming centers, ports on the sea or rivers, the union may help this construction by means of a subvention paid in a lump sum, when the lines are open to traffic, at the rate of 6:000$ per kilometer.

Conditions, whether of a technical nature or referring to dates for payment, indemnification for help given, maximum length to receive subsidy, and any other matters, will be defined in the contract to be signed previously.

CHAPTER IV. Railway colonization.

ART. 59. The settling of land along or near railways, in course of construction or already in traffic, as well as along rivers, navigated by steamers, ought to be undertaken and pushed by the various companies, independent of any initiative on the part of the federal or state government, of associations, or private individuals.

ART. 60. By "railway companies" or "company," for the purposes of this chapter, is understood any single or collective entity which has for its purpose the construction of railways or carriage roads or the establishment of shipping lines, in virtue of a contract made with the Union or with the State.

ART. 61. The settling will be effected by the installation of families of immigrants accustomed to agricultural labor or cattle breeding as owners of lots, properly measured and marked out, situated along or within 20 kilometers of either side of the railway or river, and forming nucleus or service roads.

ART. 62. Any railway company which desires to obtain the aid and privileges indicated in this chapter must observe the dispositions of this decree and obtain official authorization, which will be granted by Government when it deems advisable, its responsibility being limited by the budgetary resources at its disposal.

ART. 63. The choice of the locality most fitted for nucleus and railway colonies will depend on careful study of all the circumstances essential to the development of the colony, special attention being paid to the mildness and healthiness of the climate, the abundance, quality, and distribution of the water, orographic conditions, the nature, fertility, and producing power of the soil, the extent of the forests, groves, plains, and land under cultivation, disposable area, and every other question which it may be necessary to consider for the proper establishment of the colony.

ART. 64. The choice of locality made by the company will be submitted for the study and report of the fiscal engineer or federal official, appointed for this purpose, and for the examination and approval of the Federal Government.

ART. 65. The general plan, comprising the division of the land into lots, areas of the same, cart roads and paths to be made, type of houses for the immigrants, will be submitted for the approval of the Federal Government, and shall be executed in accordance with that approval. Otherwise the aid and privileges treated of in this chapter will not be granted.

ART. 66. The land required for the nucleus or railway colonies will be acquired by the company by purchase, concession, or by agreement with the States or private individuals, and when necessary its disappropriation will be authorized.

It is absolutely necessary that the land should be previously proved to be free of any litigation, legal onus, concession, or contract, so that it may be transferred free from any claim whatsoever.

ART. 67. When the position of a nucleus or the number of the rural lots calls for the establishment of headquarters, which shall ultimately become a township, the company will apportion the necessary urban lots according to approved plans.

ART. 68. As soon as the rural lots are ready and have proper means of communication the families of immigrants will be settled thereon.

ART. 69. The company will maintain to the best of its ability and in combination with the Federal Government a propaganda service abroad, for the sale of lots, duly marked out and prepared, to immigrants accustomed to agricultural labor or to cattle breeding, in order that they may come and settle thereon.

ART. 70. The Federal Government may authorize or promote, at its own expense, introduction of immigrants for the nucleus or railway colonies, and will pay their passages from the port of their country of origin to that of their destination, effect their disembarkation, house and feed them, and give them free transport to the station nearest the nucleus.

ART. 71. The service of settling the immigrants, including help given them for the same, will be at the expense of the company, which shall furnish the new arrivals with tools and seeds and, whenever convenient, give them paid work on the railway or near the lots, to make it easier for them to keep up the same, and shall supply them, whenever necessary, with advances of food or money until the first harvest.

ART. 72. Rural lots, with any improvements thereon, will be sold to the immigrants for cash or in installments.

ART. 73. The price of lots and of houses and the conditions of payment depend on the approval of the Federal Government, which reserves to itself the right of fiscalizing anything which is in the interests of the colonists, or deals with the rights which are guaranteed to them.

ART. 74. The company binds itself to aid the transport of the colonial produce, and will grant a rebate or reduction in freights of 50 per cent on the tariff in force for five years dating from the installment of the first family on a lot of any nucleus or railway colony whose foundation was made under the conditions of this chapter or was undertaken by the Union or by the States for the settling of foreign immigrants as owners of the land.

ART. 75. The company will render every aid in its power to immigrants for the improvement of their produce and will stimulate the formation and increase of small industries; it will promote in the colonies which it founds the creation of free primary schools, and will build churches for the immigrants, irrespective of denomination.

ART. 76. The Federal Government will grant, under the heading of "Aid," premiums to any railway company which carries on with regularity the settling of foreign immigrants as owners of the land as hereby laid down.

The premiums will be agreed upon and fixed when the general plan is approved (see art. 65 of this decree), and must not exceed the following maxi

mums:

I. 200$000 for each house constructed on a rural lot so soon as the type has been officially approved and the house is in the possession of the immigrant family.

II. For each immigrant family, which has never before been resident in the country, brought in from abroad at the expense of the company and settled on a rural lot:

(a) 100$000 when the family has been settled for six months;

(b) 200$000 when the family has been settled for a year and has increased the area of cultivation and the live stock and shows every intention of continuing to do so.

III. 5: 000$ for each group of 50 rural lots occupied by families of foreign immigrants who in the same colony and within two years of the settlement of the first family have received definite titles of ownership.

ABT. 77. When the families of immigrant farmers are not brought from abroad at the expense of the company, the latter shall undertake to establish them in the same conditions as those of article 76, but has no right to premiums I and III.

ART. 78. When 50 rural lots are definitely occupied by families of foreign immigrants the company may settle 5 Brazilian families on neighboring lots, and so on in the same proportion, and the Government in this case will grant the same premium referred to in the preceding article for the settling of foreign families.

ART. 79. The company may obtain from the State interested any other privileges and aid besides those granted by the Federal Government.

CHAPTER V. Colonization by companies, associations, and private individuals.

ART. 80. Companies or associations and reputable private individuals who have at their disposal land so situated as to be fitted for colonization, and who undertake to divide the same into lots and to sell it to foreign immigrant farmers so that the said immigrants may live on the lots as owners of the same, may receive grants in aid from the union and the State as is most convenient in each particular case.

§ 1. The following are the essential conditions to be observed if union aid is to be lent:

(a) The estates must be free from litigation, mortgage, and every other legal onus, or the existence must be proved of a proper contract between the debtor and the creditor who holds the mortgage, the terms of which permit of the transference to immigrants free from any claim whatsoever.

(b) The area available must be sufficient, in the opinion of Government, for the settlement of at least 50 families of immigrants on an equal number of rural lots, which shall be adjoining or spread over a district, the greatest radius of which shall not exceed 12 kilometers.

(c) The soil must be fertile and the district healthy and the colonies within easy reach of commercial centers, to which they shall be joined by rail or carriage roads, and the conditions must be such as to allow for agricultural and industrial expansion on the part of the colonies and for the sale of their produce in a favorable market. The supply of drinking water must be abundant and such that each lot shall be provided with a proper supply for private use and for irrigation, and, finally, the general conditions must be such as will insure the prosperity of the new owner of the lot.

(d) An official inspection will be made of the district and of all documents referring to the property, in order that the foregoing conditions may be found to have been complied with.

(e) The lots must be of sufficient size to allow of expansion.

§ 2. The Federal Government will make no loans.

ART. 81. So soon as the essential conditions referred to in the preceding article have been found to be complied with, the immigrants and their families, who are to be settled as owners of the land, may be brought in by the union directly or on the refunding of their passage money at current rates on the following conditions:

(a) That they are in a position to buy the lots cash down and have sufficient resources to keep themselves, while cultivating the land or starting any industry, until they begin to make a profit, without any other privileges; or

(b) The owners of the land shall prove that they have made a contract with the immigrants, or with the government of the State interested, on such terms as to guarantee not only the sale of lots, marked out and ready, at a reasonable price, but also the granting of such aid as the immigrants shall need at the time of their first installment and until they are in a position to support themselves.

ART. 82. Apart from the aid given in accordance with the preceding article the union may grant to the respective companies, associations, or private individuals premiums for the families of immigrant farmers settled when they have been installed for a year to a year and a half and are prospering and show intention to remain.

§ 1. The number of families settled, which will give a right to premiums as well as the amount and mode of distribution of the same, will be arranged by the Federal Government in each case.

§ 2. The State interested may aid in the measuring and marking out of the lots and grant any other privileges which it may see fit.

ART. 83. At the same time that the Federal Government recognizes, in accordance with articles 80 and 81, that the circumstances are favorable for the settling of immigrants as owners, and authorizes the company, association, or private individual to make the lots ready for their reception, it may fix a date by which time the necessary work must be concluded, and if it is not concluded by that date the union will no longer be responsible for granting aid or premiums.

ART. 84. When companies, associations, or private individuals promote the settling, on a large scale, of land which belongs to them, as in § 1, sections (a), (c), (d), and (e), of article 80, and propose to link up their property by branch lines to railway stations already existing, consuming centers, and sea or river ports, the Federal Government may grant them, if it deems convenient and subject to contract made previously, a subsidy of 6:000$ per kilometer open to traffic.

In said contract shall be defined the conditions to be observed with regard to technical questions and those affecting date of payment, the maximum length to be subsidized, repayment of aid granted, etc.

ART. 85. Agricultural banks and syndicates, formed according to the laws at present in force, so soon as they have subscribed to the conditions of this decree, will be granted the preference for the obtaining of aid and premiums on the bases here laid down.

CHAPTER VI. Concerning service roads.

ART. 86. Whenever convenient service roads may be established at points starting from railways already in traffic or construction or from rivers navigated by steamers.

ART. 87. A service road in accordance with this decree is a carriage road with lots on either side of it, duly measured and marked out and contiguous to each other, and intended for the settling of immigrants as owners of the soil.