The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1918-02-08
GOVERNOR NORDECk
BOOSTS FARMER BOYS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE IS ANXIOUS
THAT SOUTH DAKOTA LANDS
BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR
OUR BOYS.
ADVOCATES THIRTY YEARS TIME
WITH INTEREST RATES Held
DOWN no FIVE PER CENT
SIX THOUSAND BOYS FROM >. d.
FARM HOMES NOW IN ARMY
AND NAVY, SAYS NOR
BECK.

At Mitchell Governor NOrbeck ad-
dressed the annual gathering OF
stockmen al their enlarged pavilion.
In the course OF his address the
Governor discussed the various pro-
posed constitutional amendments,
discussing at length the regard
ing the sale of state lands" Our
state" said Governor Norbeck, has
much public land. Originally two
sections, sixteen and thirty-six, In
each township were set aside for the
schools. Fifteen per cent of these
lands have been sold and there is
now a permanent fund of ~$13,932,-
3O3.O1, the interest on which is
used for the maintenance of our
schools. This money is all loaned
in South Dakota at s per cent and
has had a material effect in reduc-
Ing interest rates. There is still I'M
sold 2,339,912 acres of public land.
enough to make 1853 farms of 100
acres each which valued at $25 an
acre would be worth $5S,497, 10000.
In addition to this, we have other
large tracts Of land given US by the
Federal Government, such as State
University land. Agricultural Col
lege land, Capitol Building land; in
fact land for nearly every public in
stitution. These lands were selected
after the eastern half of the state
was pretty we'll settled and are,
therefore, not so valuable There are
1898 quarter sections, and ii val
ued at $40 per acre they would be
worth l.954.7O0.0O, making a
grand total Of 2,937.197 acres OF
land worth approximately ~$70,443,-
500, and the values are increasing,
but while the state has all this un-
developed land for sale and thous-
ands of boys grow up on our farms
each year, 1t is a d%eplorable fact
that hundreds of these boys have
gone to other places looking for
farm homes; some going TO western
states, others to the different pro-
vfnces OF Canada. which have held
out special inducements for the
young maj who wants to sratt
farming. South Dakota has done
nothing; it has not even offered
the land on easy terms OF payment
because the constitution did not
make this possible. 1t has long been
my idea thai the greatest drawback
- =t&#@s - &E&F EfttEft'leui Has
rate of interest IN
short time which
II ran. neeess}taling
fr.. renewals and the payment
OF iafse commissions. to say nothing
about the uncertainties or the diff
culties in securing loans when crops
were poor or times We're hard At
my request the legislature submit
ted a new plan for yotir considera-
ton.
Under our present system the pur-
chaser Of school lind must pay M
fourth Of the purchase price in
cash and o~ne-fourth in five. ten and
fifteen years. The entire purchase
| price and interest must be paid
within the fifteen G a period |
proposed that by amending the con
stitution, VI provide a plan whereby
the purchaser may make a cash
| payment OF 10 per cent and gets
Immediate possession of the land,
| and pay the balance of the purchase
| price and interest in small annual in
stallments. extending the time limit
to thirty years so that at the expira-
| ton of the thirty year period the
CIIIiiS pdi PiA'1 ILL htS GOV
shall have been paid, and the in
terest rates shall not have exceeded
s per cent. This will mako it
possible for our young men who de-
sire to make a start in life and to
| secure a home to pay fori t out of
the proceeds derived from the land
In small annual ins.aliments spread
over a large number OF years. with
out SO much hardship to the pur-
chaser or their families The plan
Is safe because the State would
give contract of sale and hold the
! deed. The land would then be tax
| able as we'll as productive.
South Dakota has about 6000
| farm boys in the army today. many
Of these will be looking for homes
when the war is eel Shall we per-
nit them to 60 to Canada and other
far away places and leave our own
! state land idle and unaeveioped ?
This will not be necessary il this
amendment the approval of
the voters at the next election. 1t
/, oil riuhf fa maintain an n,,nj.