The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-03-03

4
funds for unemployment relief in forest
improvement work was provided by
congress as embodied in the Wagner
bill now before that body at Washing
ton, E. w. Tinker, regional forester told
Duluth reporters last week. Leslie
Bean, supervisor of the Superior, also
spoke to members of the Commercial
Club at the meeting Friday evening
along these lines and further told OF
the work to be done on the forest II
appropriations are made.
One or both of two plans may be
used. Settlement and cultivation may
be invited under the permit system, OF
the tracts may be eliminated from the
forest by presidential proclamation
opening them to homestead entry OF
sale.
The plan of unemployment relief out
lined calls for the employment of 25,-
600 to 100000 men in the lake states
forests during the depression Between
5000 and 10000 would be employed in
the Superior forest.
Some of these men would be housed
in camps removed from roads and
schools. Others would be offered op-
portunity to become permanent or semi
permanent residents. These men, en-
ployed in planting, thinning and other
wise improving the forest for six to
eight months a year, would be offered
tracts of five to forty acres on which
to build homes, clear land and establish
small farms on roads near Schoolhouses
already established, where additional
expense to counties and communities
would not be required.
Men on such lands would have a
market for any surplus products among
men employed on improvements i'm
mediately, and in later years among
those who naturally will be employed
in the forest, cutting maturing timber
and in industries which may come with
the numbering operations.
1t may be that no action on the par
of the foresters may be necessary, a.
much of the land suitable to cultivation
in the forest still is in private ownership
and may be bought by men who decide
to make homes. Permits on govern.
ment lands are given at about IS cent
an acre year.
Typical of such communities Is tn
settlement at Isabella. A good roas
serves the community. 1t has school
house and a church, a postoff1ce ant
stores. There are number of small
tracts of land near it which are no
too stony to be put into cultivation
A considerable force of men could b.
employed in planting and thinning OF
government lands near by. About mil
lion dollars worth of timber has beef
sold in four townships just north of tn,
village. The cutting will begin as sool
as there is demand for the lumber. I
will take about eleven years. After tina
other blocks of the Kawishiwi worhn,
circle will come into the market, keep
ing several hundred men in the neigh
borhood probably for all time to come
Thus jobs and market for product
would he assured to settlers.
The opening of such tracts as ar
suitable to settlement is part of tn
permanent plan of the forest. Tn
adoption of an unemployment relic
plan in the area merely would haStel
it. Special care will be exercised a
this time to see that settlement is no
invited in areas where roads or school
houses would have to be provided.
Unemployment Relief
about 5000 people have been helpe.
by the 100000 winter work program o
unemployment relief in the Nationa
Forests of Michigan, Minnesota an<
Wisconsin in slash burning, snag fell
ing road and telephone line clearing
and general fire hazard removal" &C
Icording to Mr.. Tinker.
/ Payrolls averaged about 1000 mel
per month, over half of whom has
families and the crews were rotated II
order to divide the work among large
number. Wages we're fifteen dollars pc
month for those who lived at home
Foremen cooks and few others re
ceived slightly higher wages.
Twenty-Five winter relief camps wer
established in the National Forests an,
twenty crews were hauled mainl
in County and Government trucks from
the nearby towns and communities bac
and forth to the job each day. TIL
camps Accommodated about 400 mer
NEARLY all single, and these crews wer
changed sometimes as often as ever
two weeks to spread the work AROUND
Six hundred was the average numbe
of commuters" as the ones living ava
from the camps were called, and thei
periods of employment averaged some
what over month. In accordance wit
the law making the money available
laborers work not to exceed thirty hour
a week or five days Of five hours an
one, generally Saturday, of four.
; mo men were hired or viii be hire
by the Milwaukee Office" stated NJ
Tinker, "for all the employees are Oh
tanned locally, near the jobs, mainl
from the county unemployed lists an
there were many more applicants tina
jobs. Married men were given the pre-
ference and somewhat longer employ
. ment because their wages helped NOR
people. County cooperation varie
rather widely from practically no as
J sistance beyond providing lists of ap
Iplicants for relief, to furnishing truck
: for transportating men, camp equip
; ment, blankets, etc.
From progress reports of accomplish
ments it is expected that the $99,2e
, allotted to the winter relief work wi
!. include the burning of slash and oths
debris along about 1000 miles Of road