El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-12-07
WASHINGTON, d 9,
wv Farms for soldiers.."

AI Z
w Farms for soldiers."
Yes and for every man who is Will
ing TO work when he comes HON
from France.
Not for hundreds or thousands bu
for hundreds Of thousands and per
haps millions II that many conveT4ei
by the open air life OF the ARM
should want to go back to the landt
This, in brief. is the project upol
which the government Is working I
IS a big project, bigger than the Ques
ton involved in giving life work FOL
the soldier. It is a project which
thus beginning. promises TO develop
into reclamation Of waste land that
viii increase our national wealth by
billions OF dollars and add new en-
pire 10 the active working forces OF
the American people.
But first the farm for the soldier.
That IS the kernel from which is TO
grow this great tree OF national de
Velopmenr- We shall look at il as II
lies in the nutshell It is to reclaim
the deserts, swamps and cut-over
lands Of the United States through the
soldiers as the employees OF Uncle
sam. and 10 enable them to buy the
farms thereby created upon a series
Of low interest payments which may
run through a third or half life
time
The work OF reclamation will be
done by the soldiers. They are to be
given the opportunity 20 continue in
the employ OF the government, con-
structiug dams and canals, blowing
out stumps and clearing brush. dig
ginE bitches for drainage and, in
short. building group settlements in
practically every state OF the union
Community CenterS.
The settlements VII be model COM
munity centers, comprising townsites
surrounded by 20 or so acre farm
homes. with all the advantages and
none Of the loneliness or ordinary
country life In doing this the SOL
der viii receive the current wages
for the special kind Of labor for which
he enlists. If he Is an engineer ne
may lay out the canals. If a carpen-
ter he may work at building the
houses and barns, and il q mason he
may be employed on the dams. The
laborers will receive their wages from
the government. and there will be,
wen paid out Of door work for all
After the settlements are completed,
the houses and barns built and the
soil put into shape each soldier will
be given the right to pick out a farm
a low rate Of interest on long time,
covering perhaps so or 40 years Stock /
and farm implements, furnished By !
the government, may be paid for In a
period Of from five to ten years, and |
the whole viii be so arranged that /
there viii be no element Of charity or /
pensioning in the transaction The /
soldier viii earn all he receives and 4
the government viii get back in &C
tuaI cash every cent it expends and 4
also add greatly TO the food supply 4
and wealth of the nation.
Lane Originates Scheme.
This scheme. which originated with
secretary Lane, has the approval OF
the president Congress has already \
$500, Geo for the prelimi-
nary Investigations. and another ap-
preparation Of 100000 will probably /
have passed the senate before this |
letter is published. The plans are
now being worked out by the trained
scientists Of the interior department
Under the general direction Of Arthur
p. Davis, chief Of the reclamation SER
vice, the government engineers are
travelling over the United States in
vestigating the possibilities. F. z.
Weymouth. the chief Of construction
OF the reclamation service, has taken
charge Of the soeaIled arid region
formerly known as the great Ameri-
and the far west L comprises the Il
arid and semiarid states, with the
exception Of the eastern parts OF
North Dakota. South Dakota, Ne
braska. Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
Those sections and the northeastern
part OF the country. including also all
the land east Of the Mississippi and
north OF the Ohio river, is in charge
Of F. ". Hanna. another reclamation
engineer. 1t contains 4 large area of
and swamp lands which can
be redeemed The southeastern sec
ton, which has the bulk Of such lands,
Is being investigated by H. T Cory,
the man who shut the Colorado river
out Of the Salton sea for the Southern
Pacific railway and who has long
been connected with reclamation
woEi- OF various kinds. In addition
10 tSese men the department has Sc
cured the services Of Dr. Elwood
Mead, recently in charge OF the land
settlement problem in California and