Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1917-02-23
ROGERS SETTLERS
RECLAMATION BILL
Aims at Financing New Settler
While He is Clearing Land.

I W. IOS STS, VI N0"dIC, representa- 3
Florence, Forest and ONEIDA Counties,
which will undoubtedly attract vide
spread attention, and in the opinion of
it's advocates, revolutionize conditions
/ in the matter of the settlement of up
! per Wisconsin. Mr.. Rogers has been
resident of Forest County for many
years, and has made a study Of the
and problem in the north. He has be-
come convinced that the: only way to
settle pper Wisconsin is 10y helping
the settler.
"We can never settle upper Wiscon-
SIM, said MIR Rogers, in discussing
his bill, ''by merely advertising its
advantages We must help the settler
to be successful The forbiding feature
for every settler is the clearing prob
lem We must put him on his feet, so
that his land will begin to pay him
dividends at once. TIE only way to
do this, is by financing him to clear
the land, and | think my bill provides a
feasible plan for doing this.
The Rogers bill creates in the depart
ment of agriculture a settlers eclama
ton department, and provides for a
reclamation commission, to be ap-
pointed by the governor, for term of
four years. This department shall
/ Jointly be in charge of the secretary
of agriculture and reclamation com
missioner These commissioners shall
CO. operate with the untles In re-
! claiming wild and cutover land, and
shall have charge of the reclamation
fund in each county.
The counties are empowered by ap-
preparations, tax levy or sale of special
| improvement bonds, subject to the
constitutional limit on indeb, edness, to
create county settlers rec lamation
| fund, and deposit the same with the
state treasurer, to be loaned on proper
security, to settlers IN said county, for
reclaiming land. removal of stumps,
brush, fallen or standing timber The
state treasurer shall place such money
! to the credit of the county, to beioaned
under supervision of the settlers recla-
nation department. and paid out on
requistion of the commissioner of agrl-
culture, and reclamation commits
sioner Bonds issued by counties under
the act shall constitute general
county liability non taxable and annual
interest coupon bonds, payable at the
state treasurer's office in Madison at
such time as the county board shall
determine, but within not less than five
nor more than twenty years
The bill further provides that each
county board coming under the act.
shall at the spring meeting of the board,
appoint a county agricultural repre-
sentative.
Any person who is the owner~or has
good cut-over stump land, desiring to
farm and cultivate the same, may make
application to the county agricultural
representative to have FIVE acres of
such land cleared, stumped, brushed,
blasted and otherwise improved and
ready for plow, each year for period
of three years. Application shall be
signed by the owner, mortgagee and
others interested in the land, and the
/ filing and recording of such application
shall constitute notice of incumber-
ance to all subsequent purchasers.
The county agricultural agent shall
fully investigate the application and
if the land is good agricultural land
which may be reclaimed at cost not
to exceed forty dollars and acre shall
forward applications with findings and
recommendationsto the settlers recla-
nation department, which shall make
further Investigations, and if their in
yestigations verify those of the county
agricultural commissioner they may
approve said applications and proceed
to enter into agreements and contracts
to reclaim the land.
Not to exceed forty dollars per acre,
shall be paid out of the reclamation
fund of any county for the clearing #
any piece of land. Any payments made
for reclamation shall constitute first
lien on the lands reclaimed to be paid
for in twenty installments with A per
cent interest.
The state reclamation department
shall certify to the secretary of state
before Oct. 1st, of each year, theexact
amount spent on each description of
land in each county, and the secretary
of state before Nov. 1st, shall certify
TO each county clerk the amount due
each county for reclamation work on
each descriptions land, and the county
clerk shall in turn certify the amounts
to the etown clerks, where said lands are
located, such amounts to be placed on
the tax roll, and collected as other