The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-15
TURNING TFTENR SWORDS INTO Carpenter

planned for their soldiers when they come back from the war.
 I met pr. Mead in his office in the reclamation service of the interior de- partment. The first subject discussed twas the plans our allies have for thelr 1 soldiers. Said Dr. Mead:
 1 "All of the speaking coun- i tries except the United States have re- l gently passed special soldier legisla- tion. Such of them as have goYern-
 ment lands are offering them to the soldiers free of charge. Others arc
 lending the men money to buy private properties and others are purchasing large tracts of private land and divid- ing them lip into blocks. The Engl and Canadians are establishing central farms on which the soldiers are to De employed to prepare the land and try out the crops and they are laying out these farms into holdings of different sizes to be given to the men on easy terms of payment, stocking the same with the outfit needed for farminS. Some of the countries are appointing agricultural instructors to teach the soldiers how to farm, and others are giving them farm tools and farm ami mals. seeds and fertilizers at cost. Some are creating model farms, equip ped with barns and houses, to be taken over by the soldiers when they ale completed.
 In all cases the improvements and in most the lands are to be paid for by the soldiers, but the payments are stretched over long periods of. time. Tn the Australian states the men have S61a years to buy the land outright at low rate of interest; while in New Zealand they have a leasing period of 66 years. The rental is only or 4 pei cent of the capital value. The advance ments for stock and farm outfits are payable in from 10 to 25 years.
 ~What is Canada doing?" I asked.
 "The dominion government has taken up the matter only quite recently al- though several of the provinces have been planning such schemes since the beginning of the war. It was a. year ago last August that the Canadian Par liament passed a land act for the sol diers, and only last spring that the sol diers' settlement board was appointed. Since then $3,000,000 has been appro- priated for carrying out the act, and each soldier has been given the right to take up vacant government land to the amount of 320 acres. The govern ment will also lend each soldier $250e at per cent interest to put up house and buy tools and seeds, taking a mort
 
 payment of the principal and interest will fover a period of 20 years, and the Isoldfer will get his title to the land as soon as the loan is paid. This Cana dian act provides for the employment of farm hands to assist the settler, and also for instructing of the soldiers wives and families in domestic and household science. The date for filing applications under that act was last July and within a week thereafter 2S,000 acres had been granted to 1S1 soldiers. It is now reported that 10000 more acres will be cultivated by the soldiers this year. The government has advanced s700,000 in loans to 6c6 applicants"
 "Ten me what is going on in the Canadian provinces"
 Every one of them is alive to the needs of the returned soldier" replied pr. Mead. "Ontario will open up the clay belt. an immense tract of fertile land south of Hudson bay, which ex tends westward from the boundary of Quebec for a distance of 400 miles. This county is already crossed by two railroads. The soil is a rich clay 1oam free from rock and adapted to mixed farming. The Ontario government has appropriated $5,O000o0 for it's develop ment, and the most of the sum will go
 
 100 acres free of charge OF ] that tract 10 acres are to be cleared at government expense, or it may be cleared by the ex-soldier, and the gov ernment will pay him fixed wages for the work. Every man will have the right to a lon of $500 for housing, ma chinery, tools and live stock, and this sum Is to be paid back within 20 years at per cent interest. soldier can get a title to the land within five years after he begins work upon 1t, and if he is employed upon government work be will receive, If unmarried, $2.50 per day, and if married, $1.10 day, with an allowance of s30 month for de- pendents.'
 'In British Columbia the settlement board is authorized to create settle ment areas where good but undeyel- oped lands are available, and to eX- pend $500, 1000 for buying private lands. In New Brunswick lands will be sold to soldiers at 10 per cent cash and the balance in 20 years, payable semi-an- nually, with interest. That state mas already set aside 10000 acres for be- ginning it's settlements. Each settle ment is to accommodate from 100 to 250 families.'
 What has been done in Great Brit an?'
 '"Very little as yet" replied Dr. Mead although more than $25, ,000,000 has been advanced by the county coun-