Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-12-07
FRANKLIN LANE
Continued from page one.)

reclamation and community settlement
brought forward by this department
in the spring of 1918
"The measure has been much misun-
ctrstood and sometimes deliberately
nisrepresented In the first Place, it
was not put forward as the complete
solution o. the soldier problem. 1t was
at no time supposed or expected that
ali of the 100000 men and women en-
gagged in the war with Germany would
CT could take advantage of its provis-
ions. 1t fortunately happens that the
vast majority quickly found their place
in the national life. OF the remainder
a very large proportion may be CLASH
fled as 'city minded" and of these some
$50, 900 have made application for OPP
rortunities of employment and home
making under the terms of this bill.
Largely, they are men who have had
! g agricultural experience, but who can
rot obtain farms of their own without
very considerable cash advances and
other assistance which the government
could render. II is for this element
that the policy is designed.
| ut has often been said that the plan
would be applied only in the west and
| south. The truth is that it has been
the purpose from the first to extend
it to every state where feasible prof.
| ects could be found, and that our pre-
| liminary Investigations lead us to be-
1ieve this will include every state in
| the Union.
In New England and elsewhere
public sentiment strongly fayors
modification of the pending measure
which will enable the purchase of in
dividual farms rather than community
settlement. This would be practicable
only in localities where a sufficient
number of farms, even IL not contigu
Gus, could be had to make possible the
necessary supervision and instruction
together with cooperative organiza-
ton for the purchase of supplies and
sale of products. Without these adj
vantages the plan of soldier settlement
would fail in many Instances. My in
formation is that these conditions
could be met, Not only so, but it is
urged that existing farm communities
would be inspired by the presence of
soldier settlers and benefited by the
presence of soldier settlers by their
cooperative buying and selling agen-
cies.
Another criticism of the pending
measure is directed to the amount of
the first payment the soldier settler is
required to make. AS the bill now
, stands it calls for per cent on the
land, % per cent on improvements and
, livestock, and 40 per cent on imple-
, ments and other equipment. 1t has
been urged by some friends of sol
der settlement that no first payment
should be required, but that the gov
ernment should make advances of 10(
per cent in view of the soldiers pc
culiar claim upon national considera-
] ton. 1t might be feasible to do this
in the case of community settlements
: But it could not be done in the case
$ least without abandoning the princi.
of scattered and individual farms, al
pies of sound business.
I'm the case Of community settle
n ment the soldier literally gets in OF
the ground floor Starting with {
9 territory that is entirely blank so fa
r as homes and improvements are con
cerned, he finds himself in O plac
: where community values remain to b.
: created. When he buys an improve,
farm in a settled neighborhood TIL
situation is precisely reversed. II
both cases there Is or will be ''un
earned increment" or society create,
Values: but in the one case he get
= the increment. while in the other cas-
he pays it. Obviously, O. larger ad
y vance would be justified in one cas-
than in the other