Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-12-08
Gloucester County Board Of Agriculture.
ANNUAL MEETING.

ANNUAL MEETING.
! Last Monday afternoon was about a
disagreeable as we usually have in thi
! latitude, yet goodly number Of the mem
bers of the farmers organization, and thei
wives and daughters assembled in Patron
Hall. Mullica Hill, the occasion being thu
selection of officers, conclusion of the years
business, and the discussion of topics which
farm interests suggest.
! President Hoffman called the meeting IL
order at O'Clock. and the minutes Of tbs
last quarterly meeting and the report o.
the Institute committee were read by
Secretary E E Bradshaw, after which
Treasurer Thee. Brown read the financial
report for the year, and Of the Institute, al
follows;
| Yearly report Balance on hand al
beginning of the year, $10.69; State appro.
prlation, $50 Total receipts. $50 SO
Paid out: Sundries, 1925; Secretary's
salary, $25; expense of Institute, 81 81
rent Of hall for year, 81. Total expendi.
lures, $36 ST. Balance in Treasury, $24 OF
Miss E R Chatham asked if the Treas.
urer could report the amount paid the
speakers at the Institute, and the reply
was that they were paid By the State Board
President Hoffman said it was a question
which should be answered, and suggested
that the representative to the State Board
secure the information. "If we are simply
being usedn he said, as means to pay
some one to tell us how 10 raise wife
etc, we ought to know it,
None of the members of the special COM
mittee to attend the meeting of the County
Health Authorities being present to make
report, Thos Borton who was unoficially
present, reported that the session was in
teresting and instructive, and that the
papers read by Messrs. Carter and Atkin-
son were of special interest.
President Hoffman then announced the
committee on nomination of officers as fol-
lows; Asa Moore, VIM. H. Borden, Albert
Heritage, Aaron Somers and JOS T. Carter
While this committee was performing its
duty in secret session, Theo. Brown gave
the audience something to think Of by pre-
senting the following resolution, and asked
its adoption -
ResoEved, That this Board is opposed to
the annexation of the Philippine Islands,
because ii will increase taxes, and the low
priced labor of those islands, coming in
free and direct competition with us will
cause much lower prices for labor and
agricultural products.
In advocating the adoption of the resolu-
ton, Mr.. Brown said it was an important
matter -One that concerns every citizen.
The labor in those islands costs ten cents
per day, and less. 1t will not he lawful to
protect our interests from the competition
OF this labor by tariffs. People who con-
tIol sugar and tobacco interests were
pushing the scheme Of annexation because
it was their interest to do so. There is on
good reason, he asserted, why we should
not produce all the sugar and tobacco we
consume. 1t was to the interest of agri-
culture to direct its efforts to prevent the
annexation of these islands to this country.
President Hoffman called Mr.. Nichols to
the chair, and said be hoped every member
would seriously consider this resolution,
and vote his convictions. He asserted that
wise heads were wrestling with this prob
lem, and it was yet far from settlement.
There were half dozen ayes and a
chorus of noes when the vote was taken.
The committee on nominations then re.
ported the list of new officers, as follows:
President, William III. Hoffman.
Vlce-President. Wesley B. Gill.
Secretary, Elmer +. Bradshaw.
Treasurer, Theo. Brown.
Executive Committee, Albert Heritage,
Beulah Gardner, George Tonkin, Anna
Bradshaw, B. S. Rulon.
Delegate to horticultural Society, D. W..
Sithens.
To State Board for two years, Joseph
T. Carter.
The discussion of topics was then opened
and Miss E. r. Chatham read well con-
sidered paper. on the topic, Is there a
sufficient benefit derived from the holding
of the Teachers Annual Institute to war
rant the expenditure of SO large sum of
public money" Her conclusion was
that it rested on the value we place on the
child. Her general conclusions being that
it was a necessary expenditure.
Albert Heritage said he had often won
dered why the Institutes could not be held
when it did not interfere SO seriously with
the short school terms allowed the farmer
boys.
Home influence was the next topic
on the program, but as neither of the
persons scheduled to speak to it were
present, it was passed, and the last topic,
/" Do we realize at our Institutes equal
benefit from lectures by foreign or home
talent ?" was taken up.
Mr.. Gardner thought there was two
sides to the question, some would be of
opinion that home talent would be prefer
able to these circus performers who go
about the country telling farmers what to
de Much that they say is not taken
seriously, because we must make our own
distinctions between their situation, soil,
climate. etc, and our own. The problems
they met and have solved are not met by
US in the same way, because conditions are
different. IF we can get practical farm
ers to come and talk at our Institutes" he
said in conclusion. it is my opinion we
would receive greater benefit. though rer-
haps not so well entertained as by the
tonguey lecturer, with his set speech"
President Hoffman thought we needed
both-we receive instruction and are
benefited by both home and foreign tai
ent. As for himself, he enjoy ed the home
talent portion of the program best.
Adjourned.