Trench and camp. ([Admiral, Md.) 1917-1919, 1919-01-02
DEAHOBILIZED SOLDIERS
WILL FIND GOOD JOBS

report of Secretary of the Interior
Lane are adopted. Mr.. Lane advo-
Gates systematic Government develop
ment Of idle lands, to provide imme-
date jobs for men demobilised, and
to protect labor markets from being
swamped by an influx of surplus
workers.
Coincident with Mr. Lanes sugges-
tons came q statement from J. J.
Van Ruskirk, of the Labor Depart.
ment, to the effect that the United
States Shipping Board will be able to
employ 10000 mustered out fight
ers.
Declaring that there are more than
400, 100000 acres of waste land in
this country which can be made into
farms, Mr.. Lane said:
"As an immediate 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 cultivated, but
for which water Is available, or to
which water can be brought under
the present irrigation system, and
that such tracts shall be developed
under an appropriate land-settlement
plan. This we can do at once and
meet whatever labor problem may be
immediate.
LAS a second step / would urge an
appropriation for one or more of the
largest irrigation schemes for which
surveys are in an advanced state.
Concurrently it. would seem to me
wise to undertake the draining Of the
most promising project--Govern-
ment-owned land preferred, but, II
privately owned, the land to be
bought at an appraisement made by
the Farm Loan Board and subject to
the approval of the Department Of
, Agriculture.
There is an alternative method OF
dealing with private lands which al
ready has the approval of Congress.
being incorporated in the reclama-
ton act. Under this q private owner
agrees to sell his land to whoever
gets the water right at an appraised
price as a condition precedent to our
undertaking the construction OF irri-
cation work. Under such q plan
there would be no difficulty whatever
I'm securing control of any sized bod
les of cut-over or swamp lands that
might be desired the Government
would not buy the land, but the own
er would look to the new settler for
the price, and take 1t on such terms
as the Government itself would exact
for it's own expenditure upon the
land. Experimenting this there
should be an opportunity given for
the cooperation of all the States up
on limited tracts which would be
dealt with under State control and
subject to the closest Federal super
vision"
After O soldier has returned to his
home, said Mr.. Lane, II his old posi-
ton il not open and he wishes to turn
to an independent life, there would
be laid before him a number OF prof.
ects In which the Government had UNI
dertaken in the different sections Of
the country. Let Us assume no more
than three, one an irrigation scheme,
another o drainage project, third
the development Of body OF cut-over
lands. The one would need to have
great dams constructed to impound
ana divert waters, a hydro-electric
plant, miles of canal and tunnel, per-
haps, 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 houS-
ing conditions that would seem pala-
tial to the soldier Of the trench, and
at the end a piece Of land on which
would be erected house and barn, o
farm home in a group Of farm b ..<~.
For this he must pay. But already
he has received wages out Of which
he can have saved the necessary first
installment ON his place of 10 or Is
per cent. The balance, with interest,
he can pay In 40 yearly installments.
or earlier II he can"
Turning to the question OF cost,
Secretary Lane said:
Would 1t be unreasonable to ask
that we spend In the next two years
on these veterans of the great war as
much as 1t cost us to conduct that
war for single week? Would peo-
pie that gave out of hand, but of a
noble sense of charity, to quasi-pub-
lie organizations, $500,000,000 for
the entertainment and care of these
boys hesitate to buy the bonds of this
country for like amount to provide
peace work, home work, and homes
for these same boys?"
SAY, YOU
This paper 10 souvenir Of camp
life that you want to keep and the