The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-01-21
B0UCE0IS GAIN AT THE POLLS
MAJORITY SOCIALISTS IN LEAD
WILSON GUEST OF FRENCH SENATE
FARM LANDS FOR
RETURNING SOLDIERS
Vermont Can Offer Land That Ought
to Appeal to Returning Soldiers

Vermont Can Offer Land That Ought
to Appeal to Returning Soldiers
Last October Governor H. F.
Graham sappointed E. S. Brigham,
State Commissioner of Agriculture,
and F. H. Bickford, State farm labor
agent, to represent Vermont on a
New England Committee to present
to Secretary of the Interior Lane,
the opportunities which exist in New
England for returning soldiers. The
New England committee arranged
with the Interior Department for a
hearing in Springfield, Mass, Janu-
ary 4, and Willis N. Cady of Middle
bury, E. N. Connal of Newport, E. w.
Dunklee of Vernon and O. L. Martin
of Plainfield were appointed as ad-
ditional delegates to this conference.
The question of interest to the peo-
pie of Vermont is: "How does Yer
mont fit into the plan of Secretary
Lane?" The plan outlined in the
Secretary's report contemplates that
the Federal Government and the
State Governments, in cooperation,
will purchase tracts of waste land in
5000 acres OF more, including swamps
which need drainage, cut-over lands
and arid tracts which need reclama-
ton; that these tracts will be reclaim
| ed and made into small farms so that
! soldiers may be colonized thereon,
! having about 100 farms in each col
ony. 1t was the opinion of the Ver-
mont committee, and so commnicat-
ed to the Federal authorities, that
we have no tracts of 5000 acres or
| more in one block which would lend
| themselves readily to this plan of the
Secretary, but that Vermont does of
! fer to the returning soldier the best
possible opportunity for acquiring a
; home on the land. During the first
year of the war, census was taken
of two blocks of six towns each in
two sections of the state, one being
located in the Champlain Valley and
the other in more hilly section. The
question was asked of each farmer,
els your farm for sale?" An aver
age of 20 per cent replied in the
affirmative. This illustrates that we
have in the state many farms which
are on the market. An investigation
has shown that the prices of these
farms will Lot exceed, in many cases,
what it would cost to replace the
buildings now built. Therefore, the
returning soldier may find in Ver-
mont an opportunity to acquire a
farm ready to occupy, with land
cleared, which may be bought for
less money than it would cost under
present conditions to make but a
portion of the improvements which
have already been made. The COM
mittee believes that the best proceed
ure for Vermont is to take census
Of the farms which we have for sale,
preferably through the listers next
April, and to have the agricultural de-
partment investigate such farms and
ascertain such facts about them as
prospective purchasers would desire
to know. Then the publicity depart
ment of the state should advertise
these farms in such a way that they
will be brought to the attention of the
in the way of advice on the part of the
state should be given to the return
ing soldier so that he may secure
good title to his land and so that he
will be located in such a way that
there will be a possibility for him to
succeed. Not only should this oppor-
tunity appeal to returning soldiers,
but also to young farmers in the
West, where land has now reached
very high price. Land in Iowa sells
for from $3.50 to $500 per acre. Land
in Vermont can be bought for much
less, yet an acre of potatoes in 1918
was worth S179.40 in Vermont and
but $95.76 in Iowa; an acre of oats
was worth $500 in Vermont and but
$26.88 in Iowa; an acre of barley was
worth $47.43 in Vermont and but
$26.78 in Iowa; an acre of corn was
worth $64.60 in Vermont and but
$4392 in Iowa; although Iowa is To-
Gated in the famous corn belt Of the
United States.
Vermont's cheaper land, its greater
value of farm products per unit, bas-
ed on nearness to market, should ap-
peal to the returning soldier or to
anyone else seeking an opportunity
on the land and it is the opinion of
the committee that Vermont has but
to make known it's opportunity in or
der to attract many people to buy
the farms which she has for sale.
Because it is of so much more i'm
portance that you should have infor-
nation about commodities and prices
than that you should merely guess
and assume, the merchants advertise
to you.