The Alaska daily empire., 1919-05-28
LANES PLANS FOR SOLDIERS AND AGRICUL-
 TuRAL DEVELOPMENT

- o increasing flood of return
 - 8fror the war to take up anew the tasks of civil lfe many of them with greatly ' ., ,aeas of life and ambitions and in quandry Jus. iu a arc annealing to the Department oi T.. .or for information as to the intentions oi tho Government in it's proposed plan ol pio'ie farms for soldiers eses4t se., ,s-s4 ,e ,a
 snch a deluge of requests has been receiVeo from the msns who wore the uniform as to enp"as,n the &son M saiIs other wars that the Service men, sog of army life with it's openness and activity largely seek out-of-doors yocatons'
 The Interior Department has already explained to more than 900 that the deveiopmeht oi us plans rests solely with Congress
 Briefly the Department is saying that, II suci' ,eeisIation is passed work will begin at once in the development of cooperative farm settlements TOT soldiers and sailors in nearly all of the states lh practically every in the Union there are large areas of land suitable for this purpose There IS ory land in the West that needs water, which can De provided by building dams and canals. In the East are large areas of loggedof timber lands from which is 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 it will be possible for them obtain job their homes by draining, clearing, rrigatng and improving these lands That again depends upon the action of Con gress in providing the money for construction The plans propose that these settlements be scattered all
 
 every honorably discharged soldier sailor mar inc to work near his old home There would be work of all kinds in connection with these settle ments, from the highest technical and clerical posi- lions to that of laborer.
 The plan involves ''the farm idea in that there will be built what known community settlements, each containing number of farm homes, that the will have neghbors, good roads over which to bring their products to town, and market for the sale of the produce with in short distance of the farm home. Efforts will be made to overcome the handicap of farm life that are driving the people to the cities-the lack of society in the country the distance between farm homes the remoteness from the postoffce and the newspaper, the desire for better school facilities for the children. Under the way there will be the farm village, the settlement of farmers around center which is their home in which be gath cred most of the advantages of the city-the good school the church, the moving picture, the we'll oufitted store, and these, with good roads, rural express, the telephone, the automobile and the post office will make life the farm thing of diff ferent meaning from the isolated life it has been.
 After these service men have builded the dams and canals, or cleared the cut-over land of stumps built the diches to drain the swamp lands; after they have helped to erect houses and barns built fences constructed roads and laid out town sites built screameries canneries, warehouses; and schools after they have in fact reclaimed the land the Gov ernment intends to allow the men to pick out one of these farms. The plan also provides that these farms and homes shall be paid for in small payments over long term of years. is expected that the 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 from the sale of crops
 It is planned that the Government will also furnish the farmers with the necessary stock and farm implements. these to be paid for in small payments spread oyer several years.
 These farms will contain from forty to eighty acres for general farming purposes. eighty to one hundred and sixty acres for live purposes