Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1932-06-30

nrSt came to America seeking new
opportunities. Or, as we think of peO-
pie who emigrated from European
countries looking ever for land, land.
and freedom to worship and acquire a
home.
Today, with congested cities, with
ever increasing breadlines, overbur-
dened community chests, unemploy-
ment, the matter of a new kind of
colonization is occupying the thought
and attention of many social and po-
litical leaders. There is among all
people land hunger" that insistent
desire to put ones feet on a piece of
mother earth and call it ones own.
Country people have it, and city peo-
pie have it in an even greater degree.
And there is land-acres and acres
of good tillable land still remaining
unoccupied, waiting for some human
being to place his feet upon it in ap-
probation.
The Frontier Settler.
But the acquisition of our land and
the settlement of our country in the
past has been done in a haphazard
fashion. Men seeking land and ex-
ercising individual initiative pushed
out to the border of civilization amid
hardships, ahead of roads, schools,
and other conveEiences that modern
man should have. Land was bought,
houses built, and farms established
out on the frontier, with the founders
suffering privation and battling the
elements in the hope that civilization
would ultimately come their way and
bring them prosperity. In some in
stances prosperity has come, but in
a great many it has not.
Now we are due for a new type Of
colonization, which will bring the
people of the cities out to the coun-
try in a reasonable, rational manner,
establishing them in closely knit
farming communities where they may
develop their homes and rear their
families in comfort. This new type
of colony requires the acquisition of
large tracts of land which can be
resold to the colonists on long time
easy terms,-let us say forty years
at go interest on deferred payments.
lation, for while such colonization
project should ultimately be self-sup-
porting, there should be no chance
for profiteering in the sale of lands
or initiation of land values.
Easy Payments Essential.
The policy of acquiring land on
easy payments is not a new one for
such a policy was followed by our
state of Minnesota in the selling OF
school land. Sections 16 and SO OF
each township were designated as
school land and sold to settlers on
40 year certificates at low price and
40 interest. The Minnesota Rural
Credit Bureau now in operation, rec
ognizes the need for long time easy
terms in farming operations by Of
fering amortized mortgages running
over a period of thirty-five years.
Minnesota still has about 100000
acres of state owned land with $780,.
900 acres of tax delinquent land
Some of this should be available fol
colonization projects. There are also
in northern Minnesota many individ-
ual owners of land who perhaps would
be willing to sell their land at a
nominal cash price, to some sort Of
colonizing corporation.
What type of farming would such
a community pursue? If the project
were in northeastern Minnesota OF
northwestern Wisconsin, the farming
would consist of gardening, dairying
poultry raising, hog raising and fruit
raising. These branches of farming
are sufficiently varied to permit the
colonists to be self-supporting while
offering ample opportunity for the
exercising of their agricultural tai
ents.
Cooperative Institutions.
So far as possible the industry and
business of the colony should eventu
ally be owned and operated by the
colony. There should be a co-opera.
tive creamery, a community bank, g
community coal company, commun
ity gas and oil supply company, 9
community telephone company and Il
feasible a community company to dis.
tribute electric service. Profits from
tucSS COuCCIuo gu lAS
colony's treasury for the maintenance
of roads and schools.
Speaking of schools, of course, leads
us to the subject of taxes,-that dis
agreeable topic which has to be faced
Schools, undoubtedly, such a com
munity should have. They should ruI
to the eighth grade with provision fol
transportation to some high schoo
for those capable and willing to take
high school courses. Above all, there
should be avoided from the start an!
extensive or long time bond issues
which in the past have often borne
crushingly down on rural commun
tiles.
In regards to roads, the community
should be laid out so as to require {
minimum number of roads. If thu
colony were laid out along one mair
road in eighty acre tracts along ST,
mile stretch minimum amount o