Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-01-11
Departments Of Waterways.

that the aggregate power Of known avail
s ha od falls and rapids in Minnesota Is about
less than one-naif is now utilized fer in
dustrial purposes In other words. the avail
sarveyed IS saaivoisne to over tens
| OF coal per annum. developed into industrial
power.
Besdes the resources Of our water powers.
! there are tho resources OF our waterways.
velopsd Minneapolis. Little Falls and other
milling towns; The Aississippi az water
ssa 81 osssl
But tho greatest waterway asset Of tho
Ta' and
| the Great Lakes system are wholly RESPONSE
BILE for the development Of our iron ore
iobbins business. AZ compared with tho
q haul Of one thousand miles. the Great
Lakes route TRANSPORTS 9 ton Of iron ore
back = ton OF coal for 80 cents. This 10 the
miracle Of transportation. which has been
perhaps the greatest factor in northwestern
| development. 1t Is our great transportation
asset. Lake Superior, that places Duluth
tor al business business purposes as near as Chicago
hundred miles nearer the markets Of the
Pacific and the great trade empire which
Sound
Closely associated with our waterways
The problems of waterpoWers and c water.
| ways and drainage are alike subject for
trunk Of the drainase system ths
drainage bitches which reclaim millions of
acres res. Of wet lands are the small veins and
artery system Of which the principal trunk
is the great navigable waterway. The total
length and have reclaimed about 5000, 900
acres at cost Of s1o.Ooo.ooo The average
cost OF drainage per acre 10 therefore about
s. whereas the average benefit is from
1t goes without saying. that a department
IN eaarge or at least one commissioner, de.
fold '"''
Department Of Agriculture and immigration.
| minnesota possesses the greatest agricul-
tural resources Of any state in the Union, and
yet it is one Of the few states which have no
ture: Or her is. 90. 900 acres e Of agrcaitural
lands, less than so per cent are under cultiva-
methods of adminstrato y'e' from %no So
nov io rea Per cent greater returns than are
=, AS showing what other states are doing
| IN this line Missouri has Of the best
charge Of ten ocers ana 81 snecSats
| department works in harmony with the agri-
cultural schools and colleges. the livestock
] tlon. swine growers and breeders, sheep
breeders: highway engineers, and home max
ment appears to be modelled somewhat after
tnat OF the general government. with a secre-
| as dairy and food, livestock, veterinary
science; s agricultural chemistry, and special
ists in all the various branches Of agricultural
science and industry. Before the organza-
ton of that department in 1895 there had
est e. steady decrease In the value of the
ieSs than that Of 1s7o The wosderfu in' re'
atey in the census returns 81 1865 when the
farm products of Pennsylvania showed a
| Minnesota in 1909 turned out an agricultur-
al Ed product estimated as worth over s4a7, ooo,
Minnesota is the first state in the Union
IN wheat at production, with a record yield Of
1853 bushels per acre, though above the he
average for the country at lar &c. is, only half
TN onaS ;,o OF the best wheat sections Of Europe
| OF even that OF Minnesota in the earlier days.
] The state has done much to encourage
scientific agricuture; what we now need is to
Well-directed central organization the many
lines Of agricultural activity now in progress
THO greatest agricultural colleges and fa:m
SCHOOLS In the country. with three fairly
farmers institute or travelling lecture Course.
| me several state institutions, commissions
df n ;as and agricultual societies, each
| IN It's own line. have performed a vast SER
vice In our educational and Industrial de-
ys1opmsnt but the greatest eticiency and
laG Ih o. cooperative a organization.
and q in
appalling annual loss Of soil fertility from
demonstrated to a mathematical certainty.
| The late federal census returns show an actr-
eur cur older o counties amounting to as high as
tUo to soo farms per county. AZ many as
not only in the older southern districts, but in
the central and western sections of the state
! snow Less population in 1910. than in 1860.
1912 values our present i5575s farms at at
SS;i:sSse11o. ooo not including farm machinery
| perhaps swell our total farm investment to
a a1sn1eo m tell s15oo,ooo,ooo The stats
and manager, and has duties as such in the
! way OF Improvement. drainage, forestry.
| Not only in the interest of our educationai
institutions, but also in Justice to the strus.
Cling settler whose claims are surrounded BY
aot conscient1ously neglect longer our plain
duty as chief land proprietor.
Immigration,
1t Is the function OF the department of
immigration n11 to bring to our lanos the popu-
mas made a. record performing the rune
ton Ihe $4,000 expended by the commas
| sofa have produced several hundred thousand
inquiries. .h lures from intending Settlers increased
brought investors ana farm tenants, raised
farm values, increased business and ma
| terlally aided state Development. The spe-
elal Minnesota Immigration car, recently
| hauled through the states south OF US by the
| generous cooperation or one OF our railway
farmers daily. is an example Of the enter 81
prise with which the state is now being ad-
sertifd:
In order to secure the best results there
must oe radical reorganization of our ad-
| mlnlstratlve methods. so that there will be
effective cooperation between the immigra-
| ton department., on the one hand ana the
land: forestry, agricultural and other de- de-
Department Of Public Highways.
I'VE we nave MADE modest beginning in the
| and are moving slowly IN the right direction
| In iour years. under the 1-2O OF a mill levy,
been available as slate aid and distributed
| among the counties on the basis of $1.06 paid
| themselves Of this allotment and complied
| With the regulations Of the State Highway
which is valuable under the constitutio mai
Amendment, on the condition of the State
1t is possible for this legislature, on the
| present state valuation, to provide the state
| ::on OF $780, 900 ,This provision VIII plaae
! Minnesota in the rank Of the eight leading
| Doubtlessly there will be laid before vo,
during; this session a bill for a greatly i'm
pro- ed a.; and M state highway
act to put into effect the constitutional
a am no. Anothsr provision will author
| point competent road builder as county
superintendent of highways. who shall act
! commission. in harmony with the plat, sue
| cessfully adapted by some of the Atlantic
'IdtCc. lac all MAY likewise authorize the
state highway commission and it's engineer
to name district engineers for the varioua
sections OF the state in accord with New
York Massachusetts and Connecticut plan.
Certainly. the proposed act should give our
mensurate with his responsible expert duties
According to the report Of the state board
OF health. there occurred in this state S,O75
deaths frmo preventable disease during the
1909 VIC 'ea'
The great problem to be solved is one If
prevention rather than cure and consista
largely in the enforcement of sanitation laws
in our cities. schools, and homes That fhe
present board of health has been efficient and