308 MISC. PUBLICATION 218, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
over area. In the fall of 1926 five families, constituting about one- 
half the population of one township, accepted the proposal to be 
moved, the government paying their moving expenses and building 
houses and stables for them at the new location. The abandoned 
farms acquired by the government were closed to further occupancy. 
By this means the government was able to close one schooj and to 
save in school and road expenses in 2 years the entire cost of moving 
the families. In all, 15 families, the total population of about four 
townships, were moved (117, p. 166). 
This experiment, in spite of the fact that it resulted in reducing the 
cost of local government in the evacuated areas, could not be called a 
success since only 5 of the 15 families stayed on the good agricultural 
land after being moved. This result has been ascribed to the char- 
acter of the people transferred (121). 
Since it is usually the case that the men stranded in sparsely popu- 
lated regions are old and not able to adapt themselves readily to 
changed conditions, the transfer of such people is a difficult matter. 
The depopulation of these areas may in many cases have to come 
about slowly by the prevention of new settlement and the abandon- 
ment of the old places with the death of the occupants. 
SUMMARY 
These examples are sufficient to indicate that there are sparsely 
settled regions or forest regions in many parts of the United States 
and Canada that need a simpler form of governmental organization 
than is required by richer and more developed regions. They need 
to be relieved of the excess layers of government that contribute to 
the burden of taxation. Many forest regions which are now severely 
burdened with taxes might enjoy very moderate taxation if the fune- 
tions of government in these regions were limited to those which 
yield a benefit to forest property. School taxes always figure heavily 
in the tax load on rural property. It cannot be claimed that unin- 
habited forest land should be relieved of all school taxes, but there is 
justification for some relief in this field. This would easily be possible 
if settlement were controlled. Rigid control of further land settle- 
ment in sparsely settled regions, accompanied by the disorganization 
of all or most of the local governments in such regions, would certainly 
yield substantial tax relief to much forest land and in no way add to 
the burden on other classes of property. 
STATE AND FEDERAL AID 
OBJECTS AND EXTENT 
Most of the States have come to the rescue of local government in 
recent years through the so-called ‘‘grant-in-aid.’”?’ The two principal 
objects for which State aid is granted are schools and roads, and the 
distribution of aid for each of these objects will be discussed at some 
length. State aid for health work will be given a very brief treat- 
ment. 
While schools, roads, and health activities have been the chief bene- 
ficiaries of State aid, the State often shares in the support of other 
functions. Itis now recognized that most of the traditional functions 
of local government are affected with an interest beyond the borders 
