The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1961-08-25


waiting for the Veterans Administra
ton to approve applications for G.
housing bill will be pleased to know
that the VA now has money to loan
Congress authorized an additions
SIP billion expenditure for the vet.
erans' direct and guaranteed home
loan program. Loans to World War II
veterans will be extended to July &c,
1867, Korean veterans to February 1,
1875.
| In an effort to eliminate the stag
gering backlog of loan applications,
Congress directed the Secretary of
Treasury to make $500 million avail
able Immediately for veterans home
loans. More than So million of this
has been designated for use in Mon
tana. This will permit the VA in
Montana to reduce rapidly it's back
log of hundreds of applications, and
will permit home construction starts
all over the state.
RAIL RATES REDUCED FOR HAY
Railroads operating in Montana
agreed last week to cut freight rates
about 40 per cent on hay going into
disaster-designated counties from
Minnesota and the Dakotas. There
is no government compensation for
losses incurred by the lines for re-
duced revenue.
The Montana Senators, who had
Joined Secretary of Agriculture
Freeman in requesting rate reduc-
ton, complimented the railroads
on their prompt, substantial reduc-
tions to assist the drought-stricken
communities.
In other emergency program de-
velopments, Hill county became the
24th Montana county designated
eligible to participate in emergency
cost-share assistance, for which about
$4,000 is available in Montana this
year. Approved practices which the
government will help finance include
well digging, construction of fire
guards, wind erosion protection and
of irrigation water.
Secretary Freeman announced OPP
GRAFTON details regarding Public Law
87-127 sponsored by the Montana |
Senators at the request of the Mon |
5ana Disaster Committee. Mr.. Free
man announced that selling prices
of Commodity Credit Corporation
owned feed grains to eligible farmers
and ranchers in emergency areas will
De at rs per cent of the 1861 feed
grain support prices. He also as
,ured producers that the cutoff dates
IN emergency ams-originally
scheduled to run through August 81
,r Sept. 80, Twill be extended as
ong as the emergency exists"
BILL APPROVED
Last Tuesday the Senate approved
he Mansfield-Metcalf bill approving
contract negotiations be-
ween the Bureau OF Reclamation and
Iuntley Project Irrigation District.
Under previous legislation, con-
truction obligations against 831
ores of permanently unproductive
and was charged off and payments
N temporarily unproductive land
The present bill deals with
hose lands on which payments have
cen suspended-1,5 $50 acres have /
cen placed in full-pay class, 6,337 t
ores in limited pay, and 1880 acres !
re considered permanently nom J
.rigable. If
Original cost of the project was l
1 ,944,576. About 60 per cent has t
cen repaid. About $3.50 acres are
aid out completely, 1890 acres will c
ay out in about A " years. The new n
1ll-pay class will complete payment v
20 years, and the limited-pay class
1910. Z
TOP WETLAND DRAINING {
Underscoring the sharp drop in
lex population, caused in part by
.wer breeding grounds, Senator Met g
IF introduced legislation to prohibit )!
nancial or technical assistance for II
etland drainage on farm eff the is
of the Interior has made
finding that wildlife preservation II
III be materially harmed on the farm "
such drainage" q
I