Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-16
SOLDIERS WILL
HEAR OF PLANS
: TO Get CLAIMS
Rock Island Post of World War
Veterans To Have Land Prop
ositiOn Fully Explained.

commander of the Rock Island
post of the Veterans of the War for
Democracy announced today that at
the meeting of the post at the
court house tomorrow night, fur
Their information will be available
on the proposition of land claims
for soldiers.
In explaining the proposition,
Mr.. PhiIbrook said:
Throughout this country, lying
in practically every state of the
union, are large areas of at pres
ent unused and unproductive land.
These areas include dry lands
which require water to make them
productive: cut-oyer timber lands,
-sfroln which stumps and brush
must be removed, and swamp lands
which must be drained. A great
deal of this land when supplied
with water, or cleared of stumps
and brush or drained and when lev
eled and put under cultivation can
be made as productive as any agri-
cultural land in the country. But
il will require the labor of a large
Vi Hell " lLldhE ILLS pOOo1-
BILE
ITO bring some of this land I'M
der cultivation the secretary of the
interior has asked congress to ap-
propriate 500, 900 900, which, if
granted, will enable the interior
department TO make a beginning
on the construction of a reclama-
tion project in practically every /,
state. And here is where the men
are given an opportunity to take a
part in this great work. after you
are discharged from the service !
now, the interior department has
asked that the questionnaires be
filled out and sent to US so as to
enable US to help the department
with the work now at hand
Need OF Men
AS soon as this money is made |
available there will be need of |
thousands of men to help in the |
construction of these projects. The
positions will range from those re-
Quiring the highest degree of tech |
meal skill to electricians, engi- |
neers. surveyors, soil experts, !
clerks. accountants. bookkeepers. !
store keepers, time keepers, trac-
tor and automobile drivers, team
sters. blacksmiths, carpenters,
plumbers. cooks, laborers and in
fact almost every position you can
think Of
Large construction camps will
be built where you Will live with
all home conveniences. and where
you WILL receive good living wages,
such as are paid by different firms
for the same work.
LAS is stated these projects will
be scattered all over the United
States. so that 1t will frequently be
possible for a man living, say in
Illinois. to get work on an Illinois
project. and often he will find that
the work is near his old home. The
man from the north or west should
also be able to find work on pro-
tsct in his own state.
To Build Settlements.
The work to be done has for its
object the building of community
settlements. each one of which will
contain not less than 100 families
You will be asked to help build
these community settlements,
which in the far west would mean
first helping to build the dams for
the storage of water and the ca
nails and bitches to bring this wa
ter to the land: in the cut-over
regions of the north and south,
helping to blow out the stumps and
clear of the brush; in the swamp
land projects helping to build
drainage bitches. After this work
has been done will come the erec-
ton of houses and barns. the con-
struction of roads, the laying out
of town sites. and the building of
cooperatfve creameries, canneries,
warehouses. etc. and the final
clearing. leveling. blowing and
planting of the farms surrounding
these municipal centers with each
farmstead furnished with the nee
essary farm implements and stock
and a portion of the land actually
in crop.
This is the work which you will
be asked to perform at good wages
for Uncle Sam. And now comes the
last but best part of the plan
When the work is finished each
one of you will be given the right
TO pick out one of these farm
homes which you have helped to
build. Not as a gift of course, for
you would not appreciate that, but
| think you will agree that the
terms of payment are easy. I'm
der the plans of the interior de-
partment you would be given from
30 to 40 years in which to pay for
the farm improvements, such as
house. barns, etc, and five years in
which to pay for the farm imple-
ments. stock and other necessary
equipment
Gives All Chance.
THE plan gives every man who
has any desire to own home OF
his own the opportunity to work
for a few years at good wages and
at the end pick out a farm home in
4 settled community, with all the
advantages of good roads, nearby
markets and near neighbors, with
out any of the hardships of pio
leer life. But the farms are only
'or men who will work for them
md on them They are not for the
,lackerS.
For the man who doesn't know
mich about farming the interior !
department plans to have expert ,
arm advisors on each project who .
viii give their time and expert
,uce free in showing you how to | Z