The Nenana daily news. (Nenana, Alaska) 1918-1921, 1918-09-02
NATION PLANNING
GRANTS Of LAND
TO j. S. SOLDIERS

to take up civil occupation, he
turned westward to a match.ess pub
lie domain which he helped to de-
velop into the worlds richest farms
and cities. The government was
able to point the way to a method
by which the returned soldier was
able to turn his talents for a liveli-
hood, and the government now is
laying the ground work to have
similar land available when the war
ends and the millions of American
soldiers return to civil life.
While the vast domain that await
ed the civil war veteran can not
be duplicated for those who return
from the European battlefields, there
are millions of acres which can be
made available with proper legisla-
ton and subsequent development,
and which, according to the present
plans, will be offered to the return
ing soldier with ample time to pay
for the cost of development if he
desires to accept it.
Congress will be asked for legis-
lation to make this land available,
according to the present plans of
Secretary Lane and congressional
leaders.
Secretary Lane has announced
that it will be the policy of the de-
partment of the interior to ask for
legislation by which arid lands of
the West cut over land of the North
west, and swamp lands in the Middle
West and South, can be reclaimed
and the soldier given a preferred
status in its allotment. Bills are
now before Congress on that sub
Ject, and the plan now is to weld
into an administration bill measure
embracing Secretary Lanes ideas.
the legislation to be patterned after
a bill now before the House Public
Lands Committee by Representative
Smith of Idaho. 10.
The amount of swamp and cut
over lands is extensive, reports from
the department of the interior indi-
cate, but just how extensive is not
known. 1t is estimated that approx
mately 60,OOO,OOO acres of swamp
and overflow land can be made
available for farming. Some if it
has passed into private ownership.
1t lies chiefly in Florida, in the states
along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
in the Mississippi delta and in Miss
ouri, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota,
Wisconsin and California.
1t is estimated that of the cut
over and logged off land there is
approximately 2OO,OOO,OOO acres
suitable for agricultural develop
ment. A larger percentage of this
land is now in private ownership.
and it is shown that failure to de-
velop it is due largely to made
quate methods of approach saws
Secretary Lane. Unless a n wv pol
icy of developent is worked out in
cooperation between the United
States, the states and the individual
owners, greater part of it will re-
main unsettled and uncultivated.
The land lies chiefly in Washington,
and Oregon, Virginia, North Carolina
and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida,
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and
Texas.
Other than planning, the develop
ment should be by the returning
soldier, according to Secretary Lanes
; views.
"The dam or the irrigation pro-
Ject should be built by him., Mr..
, Lane says. "The canals, the bitches,
the breaking of the land and the
I building of the houses, should, un-
der proper direction, be his occu-
patton. He should be allowed to
make his own home, cared for while
he is doing it, and given an interest
in the land for which he can paw
through long period of years, per-
no. l.