Bogalusa enterprise and American. (Bogalusa, La.) 1918-19??, 1919-01-02

In rs a-rual renort, made public |
recently, Franklin K. Lane, secretary
OF he inter or. explains in consid-
cradle detail his plan for providing
work and land for returning soldiers.
In this connection he states that a
systematic development of our 2o0,-
100000 acres of arid, swampy and
cut-over land can be made TO nro-
vide immediate jobs for discharged
soldiers and thus prevent the la1or
markets from being demoralized by
surplus of labor, and that further
more many Amer cans "wiN be af-
fixed permanently to agricultural oc-
cupation, and great areas of land
now neglected and valueless viii be
brought into USE"
Continuing, the secretary saws:
Gas an imme Late program we Should
first offer an opportunity upon our
present irrigation projects for all
who wish work at clearing and level
ing the land not now euit vatei, but
| for which water is available or to
which water can be brought under the
present irrigation system, and that
such tracts shall be dew ooed under
an appropriate land-settlement plan.
This we can do at once and meet
whatever labor problem may be i'm
mediate.
GAS a second step would urge an
appropriation for one or more of the
largest irrigation schemes fer VII "h
surveys are in an advanced state.
Concurrently it would seem to me
wise to undertake the dra ming of the
most promising project-government
owned land preferred, but, if pr vate
ly owned, the land to be bought at
an appraisement made by the Farm
Loan Board and sub to the ap-
proval of the Department of Agri-
4 culture.
"There is an alternative method
Of dealing with private lands which
already has the approval of Con-
gress, being incorporated in the re-
cIamation act. Under this, private
owner agrees to sell his land>to who
ever gets the water rioh+ at an an
praised price as condition prece-
dent to our undertaking the construc-
ton of irrigation work. Under such
plan there would be no difficulty
whatever in securing control of any
sized bodies of cut-over or swamp
lands that might be desired; the gov
eminent would not buy the land, but
the owner would look to the new set
/ tier for the price, and take it on
-ura, +ervvs ae she Governments itselt
would exact for its own expenditure
upon the land. Supplementing this,
there should be an opportunity gwen
for the cooperation of all the states
upon limited tracts which would be
dealt with under state control and
subject to the closest federal super
vision.
"After a soldier has returned to
his home, if his old position is no.
open and he wishes to turn to an
independent life, there would be laid
before him a number of projects
which the government had under
taken in the different sect ons of the
country. Let us assume no more
than three, one an irrigation scheme,
another a drainage project, third
the development Of a body Of cut
over lands. The one would need to
ave great dams constructed to I'M
pound and divert wa:e-s, hydro
electric plant, miles of canal and
tunnel, perhaps, thousands of acres
to be cleared and leveled, fenced and
broken. This would mean years of
work at good wages, work in the
open under housing conditions that
would seem palat.al to the soldier of
the trench, and at the end piece of
land on which would be erected q
house and barn, a farm home in a
group of farm homes. For this he
must nav. But alreadv he has re-
ceived wages out of which he can
have saved the necessary first in
stallment on his place of 10 or Is