The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1908-08-01
coNvIcTs TO CLEAR THE LAND.

coNVIcTS TO CLEAR THE LAND.
Hon. w. H. Paulhamus, state senator
and prominent fruitgrower OF Sumner,
was unable to be present, but his pa
per on "How the State May Promote
Settlement and Cultivation of Logged
Off Areas of Western Washington
was read by Hon. j. A. Falconer.
Senator Paulhamus advocates the
employment of convicts in land clear
ing. His paper follows, in part:
1t seems to me that if there is any
thing that our state or our natlon can
do to assist the man OF small means (ano
I assume that there are very few farm
ers or other persons who desire to go
on farms, that have $4,000 of capital to
put into the business) to establish NM
self in a home such as any OF us would
be proud of, it is not only our duty,
but it should be pleasure, to help bring
it about.
Many of us have lived in the state
sufficient length of time to be forcibly
impressed by the fact that our logged-oH
lands are bringing us very little revenue;
and some day Western Washington Will
awake to the discovery that a large part
of our timber has been cut off, and that
nothing but logged-off land is left. When
this condition comes to pass, we Snail
be community engaged chiefly IN ex,
porting from the interior OF the United
States to foreign countries and import
ing from foreign countries to the lnte-
rior of the United States. Our water
fronts will be busy and our other landS
will be idle. Is it not our duty to
awaken to the situation and endeavor to
start some movement which can be car.
ried to a successful end, which will make
our lands productive, instead or lying
idle
If this result can be accomplished, it
will not only bring the state a greater
revenue, but it will in short time more
bon 6Onh1a nOnnl9tiOn. 1t Will re-
quire many more laborers in all lines,
and the number of business enterprises
of every kind will rapidly increase
The question before us is a serious
one. How can this work be done in a
way that will not embarrass the county
or state and yet give the homeseeker
which he can make a good, substantial
living? During the past year the state
has done some work along these lines at
the experimental farm near Puyallup
have been much interested in the work,
and at the time it was done took the
trouble to ascertain the cost. w. IL.
Lawrence, who was in charge OF the
work, submitted to me an itemized state
ment of the cost of clearing thirteen
acres, which included all of the work
necessary, except the piling and burn
ing of the small roots, limbs, ETC., and
the leVeling of the ground where the
work was done.
1t makes a total cost of approximately
$1,000 The large items OF expense con-
sist of powder $224so; hi f1o n or d daH
$195, making a total of more than $500
to cover everything outside of labor.
In other words, the labor necessary at
clearing of 10 acres, and the rental of
the donkey engine and the powder made
up the other $500
Employ Prisoners.
1t occurs to me that inasmuch as all
of our large counties and our state are
constantly taking care of prisoners at an
expense of from % cents to 40 cents per
day for maintenance alone, and as these
prisoners are much worse off for being
idle than if they were manually engaged,
it would be a move in the right di-
rection to use as many of such prisoners
on work of this kind, charging to the
land only the actual outlay for the main
tenance of the prisoners, and by the pro-
portionate cost of few donkey engines
1t is clear to me that under such an ar
rangement the land could be cleared for
at least $50 an acre, and certainly not
over $50.
If an intending farmer had sufficient
means to buy ten acres of logged-oH
land, and the state or county was in po-
stion to clear it for him for $50 to $50
an acre-taking a first lien on the land
for the work, and permitting it to be
year, with a reasonable rate of interest
the state or county would not be the
loser. but. on the other hand, greatly
the gamer, for the reasons above set
forth.
Investigation will prove to us that
in many states prisoners are used to
good advantage on railroads and public
works. This plan is sometimes objected
to by labor organizations, and rightfully,
too, when prison labor is permitted to
come in competition with union labor;
but if am not seriously in error, union
labor does not spend much time clearing
logged-off lands; and if we can adopt
some method by which these lands can
be profitably cleared and occupied, union
Continued on Page o.