Imperial Valley press., 1918-12-14
Lane Report Hints
At Reclamation
Plans of Colorado

|, Grams of The great war as much as il
cost us TO conduct That war for sim
gle week? Would a people that gave
out of hand, out of a noble sense of
charity to quasi public organizations,
$5OO,OOO,OOO for The entertainment
and care of these boys hesitate TO buy
the bonds Of this couontry for a like
amount TO provide peace work, home
work, and homes for these same boys?
eve have spent largely for this war
and largely we must spend for many
Years 10 come. We are to economize
That we may met our debts; this must
be the national policy. But to stop
is not economy. To stand paralyzed
in the presence of debt is TO be-
come its victim. England is plannins
in the hundreds Of millions of pounds
sterling for housing and land schemes.
Canada with less than 100000 people
is offering to each man 100 acres and
$1,000 with which TO improve it,.
Surely, the United States, which has
escaped with so slight a comparative
loss in life, will not do less.
'There can be no surer Insurance
for the nation than to put its men
upon the soil, and there can be no
) wiser investment than nation can
make than to add to its territory by
4 taking from desert and waters and
desolation land that is now useless"
Mr.. Lane declared that in The United
|States there are more than 100000
/, 900 acres of waste land which can
be made into farms.
Appropriations of only few mil
lion are needed 10 start, said The Sec
retary. A bill for this purpose ALREADY
is pending in Congress, and President
Wilson endorsed some Hesitation OF
the kind in his address at The opening
of the preent session.
The development need not be con-
fined to states containing government
: land, said Mr.. Lane, citing cases of
large unused tracts near eastern cities
which would supply markets with farm
!. produce.
Turning to the question of provid-
ing fuller education through the pub
lic schools, particularly for the for
eign- born, Secretary Lane said:
l "Our war experience has taught us
among many things. the value Of g
ISlrOnS ndtlOJlul SpiiI'' 'HC fYA.'ti iAii
. portance of national ideals, the i'm
, potance of ignorance, the dependence
|of this modern world upon skilled men
land organizing ability, the need for
and the possibilities that lie in the ex-
, tension of cooperative efforts of al
kinds.
"There can be neither national unity
J in ideals or in purpose unless there
lis some common method of communi-
cation through which may be con
: veyed the thought Of the nation. All
t Americans must be taught to read and
write and think in one LANGUAGE: this
lis a primary condition to that growth
which llnatiors expect of us and
which we demand of ourselves"
i The educational problem extends be-
yond the state to the Federal govern
lnent, Mr.. Lane said, adding that if ths
llFederal government would make the
! same kind of an offer tn Tho states
lfor the eic'hcation If their illiferatec
'ithat it makes for The construction Of
roads 'in five wears there wou11 b"
few. if any. who could not read and
write in this country"
i IN conr1ndin~ his report on Tho sub
iiect Of education. Mr.. ane said.
'T shorl1 like to see The dav -vher
every child learned a trade while al
school. trained his mind and his han6
together. lifted labor into art by the
application of thought."