The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1912-08-29
MAINE HAS 24Q,0OO ACRESlLANO NOW
NUK|HLESS But COULD B[.VAH)ABLE
The Idle Swamp Lands are Best for Agriculture
And Might Be Drained

develop water power should conform
10 all reasonable terms in respect 10
taxes, rates and regulations Of opera
ton. 1t is strange thing but never
theless true that il we want to find
good model of wise Water-power poll
cy. We can very handily look across
the border into Canada, and especially
into the province Of Ontario. That
young country over there is years
ahead of US in everything that pertains
to water power development and reg
ulation.
Another of the important things
that is attracting the attention OF our
public men, is the fact that our pop
ulation and our consumption of food
is increasing faster than the yield of
our crops. We are rapidly becoming
importers of food stuffs which We
could raise on our own land if We only
would Our imports of such yege-
tables as peas. beans and onions have
more than trebled in the last ten
years. Our butter exports on the other
hand have in ten years dropped from
1900, 600 pounds to about 100000
pounds, and our butter imports have
increased three times
only this past winter the people
in the eastern part of the United
States have received a large proper
ton of their potato supply from Ger
many and ireland. One shipload of
potatoes that came into New York
last March WAS sufficient to furnish
a meal for 100000 people. The peo-
pie at my home in Washington right
under the shadow of our National
capital have been obliged 10 turn to
the peasants of Europe for their sup
ply of ordinary garden truck. Now
that would not be called surprising if
We did not have the land, but we have
nearly 100000 acres of the very best
agricultural land under the sun. lying
idle. More than that, it is producing
disease. ! mean the swamp land OF
the United States. The richest land
on earth, and yet ii is unproductve
today because it needs drainage
within a radius of 100 miles OF
the City of Washington where we haze
been eating foreign vegetables. the
last spring and summer, we have 300.
600 acres of rich swamp land. Our
area is as large as the combined
areas of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois,
and yet We are buying foreign veg
etables. Our best agricultural class
is going over into Canada at a con
stantly increasing rate. nearly 104,-
600 of them went in 1910. They are
looking for land, and We have got
75,00o,0o0 acres lying idle and far bet
ter than any land they can find in
Canada.
The Canadians are after our peo-
pie They make their boast that they
do not want any Of our poor stock.
but pick only the very best we have
and the best part of Mt is that from
their standpoint they are successful.
The official Canadian estimate of the
value of the farmers admitted from
our country, is $4,000 000 They
maintain immigration Offices in this
country scattered all the way from
Riddeford, Maine, TO Spokane, Wash
ington and yet We do not lift hand.
We let our swamp land lie idle, main
tain malaria, and buy our food from
Europe in constantly increasing
quantities.
The state Of Maine people may
think Icy ere not interested, yet the
hes- aa:icc.ur land of this state
is lis swampy land now lying idle
and there are little over 100000
acres oi it. =, is NOW worthless. l.
VIII cost on the average about IS per
acre to drain it and it will then be
worth from $50 to 5000 per acre de-
pending largely upon its transporta-
ton facilities.
so it is that our swamp lands
have become the National question
and one that we must face within
the next year or two. There is now
a bill before Congress providing for
drainage by the commission on prac-
tically the same terms by which Co
eminent has irrigated the desert
land of the West"