The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-12-12


 system to provide for Americanzation. of foreign-born citizens, and the edu- cation illiterate mountain white populations and negroes, are two big ! reconstruction problems, Secretary of | the Interior Lane says In his annual report made public today. Schools, he ! added, should lay more emphasis on teaching trades. Of immediate importance is the pro- p,osal that the government system atically go about the work of provid- ing work for soldiers on existing irri- gation projects in the West. Later, Secretary Lane suggested, more eX- tensiTe reclamation of waste land should be put under way, and small farms sold to soldiers by the govern ment on long-term payment plan. Referring to the returning soldiers, he said: Being Americans and be- ing young, they will not ask or expect pensions. They will want work. They will want, if possible, chance for home of their own"
 By systematic government develop ment of idle hands, said MT. Lane, there will be provided immediate jobs for these men, labor markets will be protected against possible collapse by being swamped with surplus of la irbor, re-established industries will be supplied with an immediate demand for their products, the movement or population to cities will be checked, many 'best proven Amertcans' will be affixed permanently to agricultural occupations, and great areas of land now neglected and valueless will be brought into use.
 AS an immediate program said the Secretary, i've should first offer an opportunity upon our present irr1- gation projects for all who wish work at clearing and levellng the land not now cultivated but for which water is available, or to which water can be brought under the present irrigation system, and that such tracts shall be developed under an appropriate land- settlement plan. This we can do at once and meet whatever labor prob- lem may be immediate.
 "As Q second step I would urge an appropriation for one or more of the largest irrigagtion schemes for which surveys are in an advanced state. Concurrently 1t would seem to me wise to undertake the draining of the most promising projects government owned land preferred, but, if privately owned, the land to be bought at an appraisement made by the Farm Loan Board and subject to the approval of the Department of Agriculture.
 There is an alternative method of dealing with private lands which al- ready has the approval of Congress being incorporates in the reclamation act Under this a private owner agrees to sell his land to whoever gets the right at an appraised price ab condition precedent to our un dertaking the construction of irriga tion work Under such a plan there would be no difficulty whatever in SC curing control of any-sized bodies O. cut-oyer or swamp lands that migh be desired; the government would no buy the lanc. but the owner woult look to the new settler for the price and take it on such terms as the gov ernment itself would exact for it's ow1 expenditure upon the land. Supple menting this there should be an op portunity given for the co-operatio of all the states upon limited tract which would be dealt with under stat control and subject to the closest fed eral supervision"
 After a. soldier has returned to hi home, said MT. Lane, if his old posi- ton is not open and he wishes to tur to an independent life there woul be laid before him a number of pro jects which the government had UT dertaken in the different sections ( the country. Let us assume no mol than three, one an irrigation schem another a drainage project, a thir the development of a body of cut-ove lands. The one would need to hay great dams constructed to impoun and divert waters, a hydro electr plant, miles of canal and tunnel, pel haps, thousands Of acres to be cleare and leveled, fenced and broken. Tn would mean years of work at zoe wages, work in the open under hou! ing conditions that would seem pal; tial to the soldier of the trench, al at the end a piece of land on whic would be erected Q house and barn, farm home in a group of farm home For this he must pay. But already l has received wages out of which l can have saved the necessary first il stallment on his place of 10 or 15 D cent. The balance with interest can pay in 40 yearly installments,
 earlier if he can.''
 MT. Lane estimated that more tht one-third, probably nearer one-ha of the American troops in Euro came from farms, and probably woJ wish to return to the agricultul work. Care should be taken, hcwev he said, that the government in SC ing farms to these men, limit the S and impose restrictions to preve their being aggregated into great tates.
 Turning to the question of cost, St Tetary Lane said this would be !"
 much as we wish to epend | than many a strike has cost t country
 Would it be unreasonable to ( for as much as we will spend t year for pensions to the veterans 6 their dependents of wars that enc 20 and 50 years ago?" he ask
 Would it be unreasonable to ask t
 we spend in the next two vars
 these veterans of the great war
 much as 1t cost us to conduct t
 war for a single week? Would 0 D
 pie that gave out of hand, out O
 noble sense of charity to quasi pu'
 organization, $500 OCO,0 GOO for the
 tertain1nent and care of these b
 hesitate to buy the bonds of
 country for a ike amount to prov
 peace work, home work, and hol
 for these same boys?
 We have spent largely for this
 and largely we must spend for m
 years to come. We are to econon
 that we may meet our debts;