The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-05-23
HOW THEY CAN GET TO IT
EXPLAINED BY THE GOV
WORD FROM THE CAPITOL
Interior Department Is Giving
Out Needed Information To
The Soldiers
Especial to Free Press. ]

Washington, May 17.-With an ever
Interesting flood of men returning
home from the war to take up anew
the tasks of civil life, many of them
with greatly changed ideas of life
and ambitions and in a quandary as
to just what to do, are appealing to
the department of the interior for in
formation as to the intentions of the
government in its proposed plan OF
providing farms for soldiers.
Such a deluge of requests has been
received from the men who wore the
uniform as to emphasize the lesson
of all other wars that the service men,
because of army life, with it's open
ness and activity, largely seek out
of door vocations.
The interior department has already
explained to more than 10000 men
that the development of its plans
rests solely with congress. 1t is eX-
pected that early in the extra session
which convenes May 10, there will
be introduced bills covering the
farms for soldiers plan.
Briefly the department is saying
that, if such legislation is passed,
work will begin at once in the devel-
orment of cooperative farm settle
ments for soldiers and sailors in
nearly all of the states. In practical
ly every state in the Union there are
large areas of land suitable for this
purpose. There is dry land in the
west that needs water, which can be
provided by building dams and canals,
In the east are large areas of cut
over or logged off timber lands from
which it will be necessary to blow
the stumps and clear off the under
brush. In the south is large amount
of cut-ove land and swampt land
which must be drained.
Questions BY Soldiers.
Many of the soldiers have asked
if it will be possible for them to OBJ
tain a job near their homes draining,
clearing, irrigating and improving
these lands. That again depends up
on the action of congress in provid
| ing the money for construction. The
plans to propose that these settle
ments be scattered all over the
country, so that it would be possible
for every honorably discharged SOL
der or sailor or marine TO work
near his old home. There would be
work of all kinds in connection with
] these settlements, from the highest
/ technical and clerical position to that
of laborer
The plan involves "the new farm
idea" in that there will be built what
are known as community settle
ments, each containing a number Of
farm homes, so that the men will have
near neighbors, good roads over
which to bring their produce to town,
and market for the sale of the
produce within short distance of
the farm home. Efforts will be
made to overcome the handicaps of
farm life that are driving the peo-
pie to the cities-the lack of society
in the country, the distance be-
tween farm homes, the remoteness
from the postoffice and the newspa-
per, the desire for better school facil-
tiles for the children. Under the
new way there will be the farm
village, the settlement of farmers
around center which is their home,
in which can be gathered most of the
school, the church, the moving pic
!
these, with good roads, the rural eX-,
press, the telephone, the automobile
and the postoffice will make life on
the farm thing Of far different
meaning from the isolated life it has
been.
Can Pick Out the Farm.
After these service men have build
ed the dams and canals, or cleared
the cut-over land of sllmps, or built
the bitches to drain the swamp lands;
after they have helped to erect
houses and barns, built fences, con-
structed roads and laid out town sites,
built creameries, canneries, ware
houses, and schools after they, have
in fact reclaimed the land, the gov
eminent intends to allow the men to
pick out one of these farms. The
plan provides that these farms and
homes shall be paid for in small pay
ments over long term of years. 1t
is expected that the men will be able
to pay the first small payment out
of the wages received from the gov
eminent in helping to build these set
Elements. The balance can be paid
from the proceeds from the sale of
crops.
1t is planned that the government
VIII also furnish the new farmers with
the necessary stock and farm i'm
Elements, these to be paid for in
small payments spread over several
years.
These farms will contain from
forty to eighty acres for general
farming purposes, from eighty to
one hundred and sixty acres for live
stock purposes, from fifteen to TWEEN
ty acres for fruit and from five to
twenty acres for truck farms.
Competent instructors in farm
practice will be stationed on each
project to teach the men how. to
make a success of farming. This
will make it possible for men who
know nothing about farming to make
a success of these farms. The plan
is to be open toy every man who has
worn Uncle Sans uniform in the