The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-02-08

Officials Discuss Purchase
of State Lands for
RefOreStation.
BY DANIEL NJ. KIDNEY

HOoSier "hill-billies" are the hap
piest people in Indiana in the
opinion of Governor garry G.. Leslie
and he does not intend to have
them harasSed.
SO today Director Richard Lieber
OF the state conservation department
aces q sociological problem, where
previously he encountered only an
economic one.
The problem of reforestation in
southern counties. which, State For
ester Ralph Wilcox contends. will
.~Ielp solve state-aid school Difficult
Ties.
Hold Conference
: Wilcox and Lieber advanced this
idea at a joint conference Of con-
servation and highway commissions
with Leslie Friday afternoon at
Turkey Run State park.
They produced facts and figures
to back a program Of eventual pur-
chase of more than 1000. 900 acres
for reforestation by the state. Pur-
chase would be in blocks of $4,000
TO 100000 acres.
School-aid would be aided by
eliminated Of townships and even
counties which now require this as
sistance.
But thsa hill -billies" would have
TO move and there is where the
Governor advanced his point.
Want Homes
What would become of these peo-
ple?" Leslie queried. They don't
want to come into cities and try to
>De successful. They are not inter
eSted in that.
These folks crave the out-of-
doors. care-free. wild life that you
are trying to encourage with state
parks. Why, they are the happiest
people we have.
TN many ways they are my kind
= OF folks. for I, too love the out-of-
doors and fishing and hunting away
from hustle and noise. 1 have been
among these hill people. They have
@heir own kind of fun every day and
3 top it off with a dance at night.
, Can Not Go to Cities
"They don't care for our so-ca1led
city life and l do not think We
ought to drive them off the land
without some assurance that they
will not go into cities where they
don't fit and wind up stealing cars
or being cared for in institutions.
Lieber combated this with
the contention that most of the
families would move to the small
towns or farms nearby and when
the forests grow up in fifteen Oh
twenty years they will be employed
in the lumber industry.
Wilcox attempted to shoulder the
social side by charging these hill
folks are interested in the liquor
industry and declared:
There is a still on every hill"
Liquor Money Source
Here also the Governor was not
without some knowledge of the sub
ject. He told of hill billy doing
time in prison who explained to the
trustees there how he had lifted
the $500 mortgage ION the old home
place" with illicit liquor making.
Although the deduction was not
made (alouO it appeared logical
that continued prohibition may
solve the state aid problem without
raising a tree.
Leslie closed the meeting by ex-
pressing sympathy with the refor-
eStration plan and indicating he
might call a conference to co-ordi-
nate this with other state aid. flood
control and social problems facing
his administration.
-. Commissioners also inspected two
; proposed roadsides for entrance into
the park. The one selected will
eventually become a state highway
from United States Road Al to
Charlottesville, it was decided.
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