Newell reclamation news. [volume] (Newell, Butte County, S.D.) 1910-19??, 1917-02-08
GOVERNOR NORBECK
BOOSTS FARMER BOYS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE is ANXIOUS
THAT SOUTH DAKOTA LANDS
BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR
OUR BOYS.
ADVOCATES THIRTY YEARS TIME
WITH INTEREST RATES Held
DOWN TO FIVE PER CENT
SIX THOUSAND BOYS FROM s. d.
FARM HOMES NOW in ARMY
AND NAVY, SAYS NOR
BECK.

At Mitchell Governor Norbeck ed
dressed the annual gathering OF
stockmen at their enlarged pavilion
In the course of his address the
Governor discussed the various pro-
posed constitutional amendments,
discussing at length the one regard
ing the sale Of state lands" Our
state" said Governor Norbeck, has
much public land Originally two
sections. sixteen and thirty-six, In
each township were set aside for the
schools. Fifteen per cent OF these
lands have been sold and there is
now a permanent fund of $13 $780,
30301, the interest on which is
used for the maintenance OF our
schools This money is all loaned
in South Dakota at per cent and
has had material effect in reduc-
ing interest rates. There Is still un-
sold 2,339,912 acres of public land,
enough to make ,619 farms OF l60
acres each which valued at $50 an
acre would be worth SIS, 497 10000.
In addition to this, we have other
large tracts of land given us by the
Federal Govern ment, such as State
University land, Agricultural Col
lege land, Capitol Building land; in
fact land for nearly every public in
stitution. These lands were selected
after the eastern half OF the state
was pretty wei settled and are,
therefore, not so valuable. There are
1888 quarter aections, and il val
ued at $40 per acre they would be
worth $11,954,700.00, making
grand total of 2,937,197 acres of
land worth approximately S70,443,-
500, and the values are increasing,
but while the state has all this I'M
developed land for sale and thous-
ands of boys grow Up on our farms
each year, it is a deplorable fact
that hundreds of these boys have
gone to other places looking for
farm homes; some going to western
states. others to the diTeren. pro-
vinces of Canada, which have held
out special inducements for the
young man who wants to sfatt
farming South Dakota mas done
nothing; it has not even offered
the land on easy terms OF payment
because the constitution Gid not
make this possible 1t has long been
my idea that the greatest drawback
to agricultural development has
been the high rate of interest on
farm loans and the short time which
the loan would run, necessitatlng
frequent renewals and the payment
of large commissions, to say nothing
about the uncertainties or the diff
culties in securing loans when crops
were poor or times were hard. Al
my request the legislature submit
ted a new plan for your considera-
ton
Under our present system the pur-
chaser of school land must pay one
fourth Of the purchase price IN
cash and one-fourth in five, ten and
fifteen years. The entire purchase
price and interest must be paid
within the fifteen year period l
proposed that by amending the con-
stitution, we provide plan whereby
payment of 10 per cent and gets
immediate possession Of the land,
and pay the balance of the purchase
price and interest in small annual in
stallments, extending the time limit
to. thirty years so that at the expira
tion of the thirty year period the
entire purchase price and interest
shall have been paid, and the in
terest rates shall not have exceeded
s per cent. This will make it
possible for our young men who de-
sire to make a start in life and to
secure home to pay fori t out of
the proceeds derived from the land
in small annual installments spread
over large number of years, with
out so much hardship to the pur-
chaser or their families. The plan
is safe because the State would
give contract Of sale and hold the
deed The land would then be tax
able as well as productive.
South Dakota has about 5000
farm boys in tae army today, many
of these will oe looking for homes
when the war is over. Shall we per-
.