THE OCCUPATIOy OF THE LAND 145 



five equal annual payments with interest. To date 

 have sold eighty forties, or 3,200 acres on Point 

 Abbaye. This locality is called Aura, and is located 

 about four miles from this village (Pequaming), 

 and the settlers are all Finns. A large school has 

 been built there by the L'Anse township, and they 

 have a large attendance. These farmers have gotten 

 together and purchased a tractor which will be used in 

 clearing and cultivating the land. This country is 

 rapidly developing into a first-class farming district. 

 We still have about 120 forties of cut-over lands on 

 Point Abbaye to dispose of."' The company did not 

 extend financial assistance to these settlers, so far as 

 is known, wlio are described by J. H. Jasberg, gen- 

 eral colonization agent of the Mineral Eange Rail- 

 road, as quite penniless and able to succeed only by 

 outside work, particularly in the woods in winter. 

 The company built a road into the settlement and 

 sold lumber to the settlers, it is said, at a figure 

 below the market price. This firm is credited with 

 marked liberality in its dealings with employees, 

 and it is likely that the Aura settlers have been 

 afforded rather more favorable consideration than 

 normally elsewhere in the district. It has become 

 manifest to some observers, however, that successful 

 colonization of these cut-over lands requires very 

 liberal terms as regards payments of interest and 

 principal, a carefully elaborated system of financial 

 credits for the purchase of equipment and live-stock, 

 and adequate provision for the installation of 

 improvements and community conveniences and ad- 



