Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1916-03-31
PROPOSED RECLAMATION PLAN
WOULD HELP MATERIALLY
IN DEVELOPING RUSK
COUNTY
ACTION BY COUNTY BOARD URGED
Nc Expense tc the County Would he
Incurred That Would Not be
Covered by Interest
on the Loans

The 1913 Legislature passed an act
authorizing Bonds for reclamation of
cut over lands" The word "racla-
nation has been enormously under
stood to mean merely draining CIR re-
claiming swamp land. This is not
the purpose of the act as it speci-
fies that it is for the purpose of
promoting the public welfare by the
proper development of natural re-
sources" and to assist settlers in re-
claiming land for agricultural use by
draining said land where necessary
and by removing from it such
stumps brush, fallen or standing
timbers or stones as prevent an eff
cient use of the land for agricultur-
al purposes
In the fall of 1914 the matter of
issuing the bonds to provide funds
for lOaning under this law came be-
fore the county board, but there did
not seem to be a proper understand
ing of the matter at that time and
no action was taken. The subject
has been lately revived by the Rusk
County Development Association and
the State Advancement Association
are now back of the move to have
it taken up again by the county
board and put through, because the
members of these associations feel
that it will be a means of doing
more for the development of Rusk
county than anything that has ever
been tried here
The purpose of this article is not
to set forth the advantages to be
derived from the plan but to deal
briefly with the requirements of the
law and to point out what may be
necessary to get it into working or
der and the working of it after it
cnce gets going.
The law provides for a reclamation
board of three members; two to be
appointed by the county board and
one by the governor. The members
constituting such board have been ap-
pointed and have been qualified and
the board is in readiness to consider
applications for loans.
Any owner of wild or partly i'm
proved land who is a settler may
make application for a loan of mon
cy to be used in clearing his land or
some portion thereof and putting it
in better shape for agricultural pur-
poses. In such application he must
state the number of acres he desires
to clear, the kind of work to be done.
whether brushing, stumping, clearing
or draining, and the estimated cost.
Each application must also contain
an agreement signed by the owner,
and all persons having a mortgage
or other interest in the land con
senting that the loan 50 made shall
constitute special tax lien prior to
all other liens and incumbrance ex-
cept general taxes.
In order to start this matter go
ing twenty-five petitions must be
filed with the county clerk in the
first instance in order to authorize
the county board to take action on
the issue of bonds. After the first
bond issue individual petitions may
be filed and loans made as the ap-
pHcatlons come in. Whenever an ap-
pllcation is filed the reclamation
board investigates the facts SIT
forth and, if satisfied, recommends
the loan. Each petitioner, at the
time of filing his petition, shall pay
to the county clerk the sum of one
dollar and this constitutes all the
expense there is to the applicant.
There are no agents commission or
attorneys fees to pay
In order to provide money with
which to make the loans the county
board is authorized to issue county
bonds which shall constitute a gen
eral county liability, payable in not
less than five nor more than TWEEN
ty years from the date of issue.
There shall be separate fund in the
county treasury known as the recla-
nation fund in which shall be placed
the proceeds of the sale of bonds,
out of which loans shall be made to
applicants and to which fund shall be
Continued on Page 81