The Coconino sun., 1919-05-30
MANY SOLDIERS WANT
 TO TAKE UP US. FARM

WASHINGTON, May 21.-With an ever increasing 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 Guandry as to just what to do, are appealing to the De- partment of the Interior for informa- tion as to the intentions of the gov ernment in its proposed plan of pro- viding farms for soldiers.
 Such 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 its open ness and activity, largely seek out of doors vacations.
 The Interior Department has al- ready explained to more than 10000 men that the development of it's plans rests solely with Congress. It is ex- pected that early in the extra session which convened May 19, 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- opment Of cooperative farm settle ments for soldiers and sailors in near ly all of the states. In practically 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 underbrush. In the South is large amount of cut over land and swamp land which must be drained.
 Many of the soldiers have asked if 1t will be possible for them to obtain a job near their homes by draining, clearing, irrigating and improving these lands. That again depends upon the action of Congress in providing the money for construction. The plans propose that these settlements be scattered all over the country, so that 1t would be possible for every honor- ably discharged soldier 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 positions to that of laborer.
 The plan involves "the new farm idea" in that there will be built what are know as community settlements, each containing number of farm homes, so that the men will have near neighbors, good roads over which to bring their produce to town, and q market for the sale of the produce within short distance of the farm house. Efforts will be made to over come the handicaps of farm life that are driving the people to the cities the lack of society in the country, the distance between farm homes, the re- moteness from the post-office and the newspaper; the desire for better school facilities for the children. Un- der the new way there will be the farm village, the settlement of farm CTS around center which is their home, in which can be gathered most of the advantages of the city-the good school, the church, the moving picture, the well-outfitted store, and these, with good roads, the rural ex- press, the telephone, the automobile, and the post office will make life on the farm thing of far different meaning from the isolated life it has been.
 After these service men have build ed the dams and canals, or cleared the cut-over land of stumps, or built the dltches to drain the swamp lands; after they have helped to erect houses and barns, built fences, constructed roads and laid out town sites, built creameries, canneries, warehouses, and schools; after they have, in fact, re- claimed the land, the government in tends 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 payments over a long term of years. It is expected that the men will be able to pay the first small payment out of the wages received from the government in help ing to build these settlements. The balance can be paid from the proceeds of the sale of crops.
 It is, planned that the government will also furnish the new farmers with the necessary stock and farm imple- ments, 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 livestock pur- poses from fifteen to twenty acres for fruit farms and from five to twenty acres for truck farms.
 Competent instructors in farm prac- tice will be stationed on each project to teach the men how to make a suc- cess of farming. This will make it possible for men who know nothing about farming to make success of these farms. The plan is to be open