The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-10-25
MONDELL BILL IS
SCHEME
Golden State Furnishes Plan
of Aiding Farmers to
Acquire Lands.
BY CHAS. S. HAYDEN
(Staff Correspondent.A

WASHINGTON. d. c., Oct. AL
though the Mondell bill for soldier set
Elements has been denounced in yari-
GUS quarters as socialistic and utterly
unworkable,N 1t is a fact, not generally
SHOWN, that 1t is modelled after the
SaLtornla land, plan, which not only
mas proven workable but SO successfully
SO that the Legislature of the Golden
Gate state this year appropriated ST.
VVV,O0O to continue the project and rec
ommended the voting of $40, 000, 900 for
me same purpose. The purpose of the
Mondeli bill is to establish on a ma
tional basis what already has proven a.
success In one state.
whether the Mondell bill, or some
other similar measure, is adopted by
congress or not, interest has been
ous in the California plan for pro-
noting agricultural settlements. Georgia
now has before its legislature a resolu-
ton designed to create a land settle
ment board and it is not improbable
that other states, with large tracts of
~undeveloped lands are giving this mat
ter grave and serious consideration.
Farmers Receive Aid.
Under the California land plan people
Of small means are enabled to acquire
farms through state aid, but without
imposing any burden on other tax
payers, and such farmers at once be-
gin production of crops. The act Gre
ating the land settlement board was
passed by the legislature in 1917 and
the first settlement was established at
Durham, Butte county.
AS a preliminary to the project, the
state acquires the land and then by
utilizing the various agencies at its
command. such as the state department
of agriculture, engineering corps and
so on the land Is put into condition for
cultivation II 10 plaa rod drainad irri-
eating bitches constructed and the va
ter supply provided.
With the land all In readiness a pub
lie sale is held and the land sold in
various sized tracts, according to the
uses for which 1t Is adapted. Investi-
cation also is made as the character,
ability and financial resources. When
the sale Is made the settler makes a
a payment of 5 per cent and he can
have up to 40 years to pay the balance.
A loan also may be Obtained up to 50
per cent OF h house and other i'm
provements of like character which may
run for 20 years, while loans for live
stock, farm implements and the like
may run for but five years.
State to Aid Project.
The interest of the state in the pro-
ject, however, does not end with the
sale OF the land. Expert advice is made
available to these farmers, whether in
the matter of agriculture or in stock
ra ising. II the project be large enough
a small experimental station is estab-
lished there and tests are made to show
what crops will produce best in the va
rious soils. In this way these settlers,
whose education in an agricultural way
is somewhat limited, soon develop, and
although the experiment has not yet
advanced far enough to show any rec
cords the sponsors for the plan are sure
these viii be made,
AS a further means of aiding these
settlers, cooperative organizations have
been created for buying In quantities
and this has materially reduced indi-
vidual expenses for those necessities
which can not be produced on the farms.
Reversing the process, these same CO.
operative organizations may be used TO
find suitable markets for the crops
grown and thus insure certain sales at
top prices,