Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-12-25
ONE PLAN PROPOSED.

A plan 1Or providing land for return.
ing soldiers worked out by Fred D.
Sherman, Commissioner of Immigra-
ton, State of Minnesota, reads as
follows:
The Government to establish in
each state, particularly the states,
where large tracts of uncultivated
lands are available some kind Of a
Government land Office. The Officials
in charge Of this Office, would permit
land owners to list their lands suit
able for agriculture, in that Office, to
be offered to the returning soldiers.
AS an example:
You are the owner of 5000 acres of
land, which you hold at $4,000 per
acre. You list this land, giving it's
legal description by section, town, and
range, as we'll as a general descrip-
ton of it's character, at the time of
listing and set your price of $4,000
per acre. When this land is listed,
Government Appraisers visit the land
and examine it thoroughly. If they
conclude that your price is too high
or that the land for various reasons
is unfit for agriculture, being too
o"uAApy, wv oLOAJ, IOO VI IOO
far from markets, they could refuse to
list your land, while on the other hand,
if they conclude that the land was
fit for agricultural purposes, but the
price too high, they could set price,
which they consider fair and then it
would be an option to leave 1t listed
or withdraw it. When the soldier
return, everyone would be privileged
to visit the LAM, off1ce in each state,
receiving description of the lands
listed and then select such tracts, 40,
80, but not to exceed $50 acres, then
return to the land office and notify
the officials that he had decided to
purchase quarter-section of your
land at the appraised price Of $40 per
acre. Upon receipt Of this applica-
ton the Government to purchase the
land from you and turn the same over
to the soldier, selecting it with the
provisions that he can have twenty
thirty, or forty years to pay for it at
4 per cent interest and also that he
is to reside upon the same five years
and make certain improvements.
Method Of Payments.
The method of payment for the land
sarily be cash, but could be in Gov
eminent bonds, running for period
of twenty, thirty, or forty years at 4
per cent interest, for in Minnesota
there are any amount of land owners
that would be glad to sell their lands,
accepting Government bonds in pay
ment, and I presume that these con-
ditions exist in practically all of the
states.
There should also be a safeguard
as to the lands that would naturally
fall back on to the Governments
hands. For example: If a soldier
filed upon quarter section of your
land and the Government purchased
it from you and the soldier for various
reasons could not make good on the
land, he would simply relinquish back
his rights to the Government and the
Government would put it up once
more for filling to other soldiers, but
in connection with this, a plan must
be worked out whereby an unscrupu-
lous land owner, aided by an unscru-
pulous soldier, could not dispose of his
land to the Government, by simply
making a deal with some soldier to
file upon the land until the owner re-
ceived his pay and then relinquish
back the land, for If this was not
safeguarded, the Government might
accumulate large amount Of unde-
sirable land, but think this could
| be checked by having the land care
fully cruised by competent examiners
and making sure before allowing the
land to be listed, that the price was
| fair and that the land was not 0n1v
suitable for agriculture, but was suf11-
GENTLY we'll located, etc., to be attrac-
tive to anyone wanting farm. Under
this plan l do not confine operations
to any one section of the state or to
any class of land. Improved farms
may be listed as we'll as the undevel-
oped lands. This will give the SOL
der the privilege of selecting a ready
made farm, anywhere in the State or
piece of raw land.