| During the time Ter Veer's dissertation was published the government was considering its colonization policy for the Wieringemeer would fall dry and the government | |
A view of the Wieringemeer from Medemblik
was intending to follow an active colonization policy. The main goal of the colonization was for the government: 'to create a community that concerning the social and economic structure, would not differ from what was generally accepted in the Netherlands'.A committee was installed that formulated economic and social-biological
requirements. For the economic selection the committee had thought that the
future farmers had to have enough capital had their disposal. With
biological selection the committee suggested that candidates should not be
older than 45 and candidates should have a strong body. In practice there
was looked to skill, education and the family of the candidate. From 1937 a
certificate of good health was also obliged. For the execution of the
colonization a special department was installed by the ministry of Public
Works: 'de Directie van de Wieringemeer', in short 'de Directie' (the Board).
Not only for the farmers there was selection policy, but also for the
labourers. A lot of labourers wanted to move in this time of high
unemployment to the Wieringemeer. The selection of this group was very
cumbersome. First a laborer had to apply had a local employment agency.
Through the agricultural labourer organization the name of the labourer
was send to the Rijksdienst voor Werkloosheidsverzekering en
Arbeidsbemiddeling (Service for Unemployment insurance and Employment
agency) in The Hague. Here was made a first selection based on skill
and the family of the candidate. Then the name of the candidates was
send to the Directie. An inspectress appointed by the Directie visited
the chosen families. She looked into the domestic qualities of the
candidates' wives. Based on this information the Directie made a final
choice. In contrast with the candidate farmers, the labourers were
obliged to hand in a certificate of good health of the candidate and
his family.
The results of the colonization of the Wieringemeer were examined by F. van Heek. Van Heek was very enthusiast about the results of the selection policy. He thought that the new land from an agrarian point of view was an example for the rest of the Netherlands. Just as Van Heek was Ter Veen pleased about the results of the colonization of the Wieringemeer. Ter Veen praised the qualities of the colonist and his family. He thought they differed from the people of the 'old land'. The colonists had 'more self-confidence, spirit of enterprise, stamina, vital' and they were more industrious and rational'. The qualities were reflected in the special character of the community: a 'melting-pot' of different communities. 'Even the Frisians will integrate in this new community'. This also showed in the figures when a remarkable distribution of religious conviction had originated in the Wieringemeer. Furtermore was an obvious over representation of 'gereformeerden'(Presbyterian). 25% of the inhabitants was 'gereformeerd', 38% 'hervormd' (Dutch Reformed) and 23% Roman Catholic. Such a balance between the three largest religious communities in one village does not occur in the rest of the Netherlands.