Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1923-04-12
ASSemblymen Put Stop
to Cheap Explosive
If THE PENDING BILL CARRIES
1T WILL RETARD LANDING
CLEARING TO SETTLERS

The taxpayers of Wisconsin-farm-
ers and owners of cut-over stump
lands in particular stand to lose hun
dreds of thousands of dollars, if Bill
222 A, just passed by the Assembly at
Madison, is also passed by the Senate
Of the State signed by the Governor,
and enacted into law.
The enactment of this legislation, it
is believed in Washington, would ser
iously hamper. if not entirely stop,
the activities of the Wisconsin State
Agricultural College in its land-clear-
ing service, and halt the distribution
now going on by the Federal Govern
ment, through the Bureau Of Public
Roads in cooperation with the State
Agricultural College, of hundreds of
thousands of pounds of picric acid,
left over from the war
When the war ended, the Federal
Government found itself with millions
of pounds of surplus war explosives
on it's hands, aud Congress passed an
act that these should be distributed
to the farmers and road builders of
the country, in order to save local
State and County taxpayers hundreds
of thousands of dollars. Picric acid
is being distributed to the farmers and
road builders without cost except a
charge of seven cents pound for dry
ing, cartridging and distribution,
plus freight.
In the cut-over counties of Wiscon-
sin there are $4,000 stump farmers,
making farms from what were once
forests, and adding hundreds of thou
sands of dollars to the taxable areas
of the State, by the use of the Govern
ment's picric acid in blowing out the
stumps. The Wisconsin College of
Agriculture began to give land-clear-
ing assistance to the farmers Of the
State in 1916. It was said that the
farmers at that time were losing from
A to 20 per cent of the money they
spent for explosives in land clearing
because they had not been properly
taught how and what explosives to
use.
Former miners began to go on the
cut-over lands of Wisconsin ana the
State College experimental with the
e ara the picric Acid left over
from tiIs var and assisted in distrfb-
uting war-salYaged explosives to the
former miners and farmers. The tax
payers of the State saved at least
$360,OOO and probably very much
larger sum, in four years by the use
of the leftover explosives, and $4,000
farmers were helped to clear their
lands Approximately 100000 acres
per year have been cleared of stumps,
during the last few years. New set
tiers are coming into northern Wis
consin in great numbers each year
and it is said, there is room for 100,-
900 more, allowing 80 acres for each
farmer Up to April 8 between 5000
duU f,VUU Adl1uGlS lave p4dCSu O10OlS
for the Government picric acid,
amounting to $4,000 pounds, to be
delivered this Spring, due entirely to
the work of the State Agricultural
College.
If Bill 222 A is enacted into law in
Wisconsin, most of this highly con-
structive work must stop, the farmers
and taxpayers of the State will lose,
and other neighboring States, such as
Michigan, Minnesota ETC., where
there are also vast areas Of cut-over
lands, will likely materially benefit by
obtaining from the Federal Govern
ment the supplies of cartridged picric
acid which would have gone to Wis
consin. There are now less than
100000 pounds of the picric acid left.