Los Banos Rotary Club History
Explains Work of State Commission

A brief review of the scope, accomplishments and ambitions of the State Reconstruction and Reemployment Commission was given to members of the Rotary Club Tuesday noon by Lyman Lantz, Sacramento, who is assistant to the director of the Commission. The Commission was originally established by the governor and state legislature in 1943, Lantz explained, for the purpose of preparing plane for the future economical development of California.

Interested in any and all projects pertaining to future development of the state, Lantz said the Commission was particularly interested in agriculture and industry, and that many projects along these lines are now underway.

Ranking high among all project work is the development of an agricultural policy program for California, to protect and retrain our agricultural prosperity. To this end, the Commission believes the prime need is for better marketing and distribution, coupled with lesser spread of prices from producer to consumer. In this work, Lantz highly praised the work of Merced county's Senator George Hatfield, who thoroughly understands the problems of agriculture and is doing all in his power to further its interests.

Other projects in which the Commission is now active includes improvement of housing and living facilities for farm labor; improvement of farms machinery and production technique; improvement of rural schools; and better understanding between agriculture and industry.

The Commission is also interested in living war memorials, such as playgrounds, swimming pools and recreation grounds; in the development of municipal airports throughout the state; development of fisheries in the Pacific Ocean; and an aerial mapping program for the entire state.

Illustrating the wide scope of activities, Lantz told of a comparatively minor, but very colorful, project that has received nation-wide attention and acclaim. It is their riding and hiking program, whereby a riding and hiking trail will be constructed from the Mexican border northward along the west slope foot level as far as Oregon, then returning southward along the coast. This project, he concluded, has proven a good investment in stimulation of interest in riding and hiking throughout the state and will undoubtedly be duplicated in other states in connection with outdoor recreation programs.

February 25, 1947

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