Harvard Survey Reveals That Siamese Farmers Are Growing Commercialized

Returning from a year of study in Siam, James M. Andrews '29, associate in Anthropology at the Peabody Museum, reported a trend toward commercial development in that small kingdom, which has hitherto devoted itself to agriculture. He attributed this trend to the need of Siam to hold its own against the recent high-speed industrialization of Japan.

The survey was financed by the Siamese government as a supplement to the study of Siam made in 1931 by Carle C. Zimmerman, associate professor of Sociology. Working with a staff of Siamese appointed by the government, Mr. Andrews made a thorough study of the Siamese people and of all phases of their life throughout the kingdom, in order to learn how Siamese initiative may be applied to the problem of commercial development.

"Japan, by its commercial development," says his report, "has since the middle of the last century made itself one of the foremost nations of the world, and has given a great stimulus to commercialization in all parts of Asia. The stimulus has been felt in Siam and will doubtless be increasingly powerful in time to come. Commercialization seems inevitable in Siam, and no one can doubt that it is desirable for it to proceed from Siamese initiative."

Suggestions for Improvement

Major suggestions made by Mr. Andrews are the establishment of a great rice market in Bangkok, the reconstruction of the port to accomodate large ships, the building of inland highways for truck transportation, and the expansion of cooperative societies to assist farmers in producing and marketing their crops and to assist in credit arrangements.

Depression Over in Slam

The survey also shows that Siam has largely recovered from the financial depression, the national income is stabilized and very nearly adjusted to expenditures, and the country is ready for a period of commercial expansion. Although the depression has lowered the standard of living in many parts of the country, it is found that because of the agricultural nature of the kingdom the people have suffered none of the hardships common during the depression in more commercial countries.

Siam, with an area of 198,000 square miles, is as large as the 12 northeastern states, including West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Bangkok, the capital, has more than 1,000,000 inhabitants, and, outside of the harbor facilities, is up-to-date in all ways.