Republican farmer., 1918-12-13
GOVERNMENT PLANNING PROGRAM
 OF LABOR FOR RETURNED SOLDIERS
Schemes for Land Reclamation National Projects and Land Grants Discussed; Inducements to Be Offered to Men Who Are Willing to Take Up Agriculture, Farms to Be Sold Easy Terms.

Washington, Dec. 12.---Development provide farms for returning soldiers, and improvement of the public school system to provide for Americanzation of foreign-born citizens, and the edu- cation o f 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- posal that the government system aticalIy go about the work of provid- ing work for soldiers on existing irri- gation projects in the West. Later, Secretary Lane suggested, more ex- tensive 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 a 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 a surplus of la bor, re-established industries will be supplied with an immediate demand for their products, the movement of population to cities will be checked, many 'Fbest proven Americans 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 irrt- gation projects for all who wish work at clearing and leveling the land not now cultivated but for which water i is available, or to which water can be brought under the present irrigation system, and that such tracts shall be l developed under an appropriate land 1 settlement plan. This we can do at once and meet whatever labor prob lem may be immediate.
 ''As a second step I would urge an appropriation for one or more of the | largest irrigagtion schemes l'? which surveys are in an advanced state. | Concurrently it would seem to me wise to undertake the draining of the most promising 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 i the Department of Agriculture.
 There is an alternative method of dealing with private lands which aI- ready has the approval of Congress, being incorporated in the reclamation | act. Under this a private owner agrees to sell his land to whoever gets the right at an appraised price as condition precedent to our un- dertaking the construction O irriga- tton work. Under such a pI I there would be no difficulty whatever in se- curing control of any-sized bodies o1 cut-over or swamp lands that might be desired; the government would not buy the land, 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 owr
 
 menting this there should be an op
 portunity given for the cooperation
 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 turl to an independent life there wouE } be laid before him a number of pro
 jects which the government had un
 dertaken in the different sections 0 the country. Let us assume no nor
 than three, one an irrigation scheme , another g drainage project, a thir : the development of body of cut-ove } lands. The one would need to hay great dams constructed to impoun