Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1922-04-07
Glen Householder Says County
Reclamation Act is Best
Bet for New
Settler

Below we print letter sent by Mr..
Householder TO Il member of the cOun
ty board. He has sent letters TO all
of the county board members, school
clerks and others in regard 10 the Rec
lamation Act
| Other counties are getting interest
| Ell and Rusk county will have the prop
| osition ready to put up to the county
board at the spring meeting:
The Letter
We have your good letter of the
LIST at hand and we are glad TO note that
you have given the county reclamation
act careful study. Undoubtedly the Sec
ton which requires all persons holding
any right or title TO the place TO sign
mp on the application for Il loan will
| eliminate several settlers who could
make good Use of the money. As the
law was originally drafted several
years ago this provision practically
amounted to il first mortgage. You
will note that it now is only Il tax lien
| | am of the opinion that it would be
| legal and morally all right to cross out
| this subsection entirely and permit
the men holding land on contract to
make application for the loan. This
very thing is done in cities even though
| may hold my home only on land con-
tract The city council votes to pave
| the street in front of my place even
| against my protest. The paving Is
| done and the city places Il special tax
| lien against the property which must
| be paid at regular tax paying time or
| the property forfeited as in the case
Of any delinquent tax. This levy is
placed against property without con-
sent Of the person who holds it on con-
tract and without even the knowledge
Of those who may hold encumbrances
on the place You will realize that
the improved fax for streets does not
add one cent to the producing power
/ Of the fellow who must pay the tax.
Improvement Increases Values
The same is true in our drainage
districts. The court orders a drain
age system installed The work is
done and the benefits are levied
against the land even though IL large
number Of land holders in the district
may protest vigorously Why then
would it not be legal for the settler
10 be given the same opportunity? |
believe that this argument against
signing up an application for a loan
which places tax lien ahead of your
mortgage is all shot full of holes when
ONE considers that forty on which
even five acres is cleared will sell for
$40 per acre more than a forty which
has no clearing ON it. This five acres
of clearing at the maximum cost I'M
der the reclamation act would be $500.
(In practice it should be much less
and any person familiar with real
estate sales in the cut-Over country
mnst admit that this 5000 or less eX
pended in clearing on the forty will
add S400 in value to the land.
Cleared Land Will Pay
IF Il settler with IA mortgage on his
place and little or no cleared land is
eypected to meet his taxes and inter
est charges is it not reasonable to as
slu.le that he would be far better able
to meet these charges providing he llad
five or ten acres of cleared land. Will
this addition Of earning possibilities
icopardize the security of the mort
gage holder?
Il believe that the operation OF this
law will force IL large number of shy.
locks who are holding new settlers
mp on three or five year mortgages out
Of business. The Legitimate loaning
agencies will realize the value of this
additional collateral which comes with /
the cleared acre and will he glad TO
lay long time amortization mortgage
with the privilege to the borrower or
Obtaining additional money under the
board privilege for clearing as
RAPIDLY as the land can be economical
~ handled. If this act can not be
made to reach down and help the
brand new man on totally wild land
then / say kill it, There are plenty
Of avenues of credit open TO those who
hold title to their land and have it
paid for.
Some Wild Schemes
Perhaps no one in the state is on
he receiving end of more wild schemes !
for developing cnt-oyer land than
hose of us who are holding state po- /
sitions in an Office directly connected !
With development work Hardly a day ,
passes that some fellow does not come
II with pictures. charts diagrams and
ven models which they set forth as !
wonderful new discovery which will 5
cure all of the ills which
re found in Il new and growing colln-
nv. We have seen hundreds OF these /
chemes go by the board We have /
often hard-boiled on that subject. y
SOME of the recent plans presented 60 &