The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-16
BETTER RURAL LIFE
COMMISSION ON COUNTRY LIFE ASKS
 QUESTIONS.
Commissioner Wilkinson Will Reply and Answers Are to Be TabuIated for President and Con
 gress.


 Alabama rural conditions will be included by the Commission on Country Life which is gathering information for the President s use in recommending legislation to Con- gress to help the outlying communities.
 The State Department Of Agriculture and Industries received Thursday from L. H. Bailey, chairman of the Commission. To- cated in Washington, a letter in which the purposes of gathering farm data are set out fully. Also the Commission puts to Commits sioner J. A. Wilkinson a dozen questions which when answered will disclose in a general way the general economic. social and sanitary conditions of rural life.
 It Is the plan of the Commission to mail the list of questions to farmers. educators. clergymen. officers of organizations which deal with any phase of rural activities, bus mess men, railroad men and others who ought to have first-hand opinions on the present conditions of country life and of the needs of rural communities.
 As stated in the Commissions letter, each recipient Is asked "to give his reasons for his answers and to make any sugges- tions that seem pertinent
 'To sum up, the Commission inquires: what in your judgment, is the most inn portant single thing to be done for the general betterment of country life'?'
 
 which have already come to them it can be judged that valuable assistance will be rendered by a general answer to the ques- tions from ali sections of the country. It Is bound to make more complete whatever recommendations the Commission will make to Congress. The answers are said to show a broad and intelligent grasp of the situation.
 The Census Bureau at Washington hns all ready agreed to tabulate the information which the letters of the Commission yield. Then it is the intention of the Commission to make a personal tour of the rural parts of the nation in order to get the opinions of the men and women there by direct con- tact and word of mouth.
 Here are the twelve questions propounded to half a million representative people in the United States
 CD Are the farm homes in your neigh borhood as good they should be under existing condition?
 (2) Are the schools of your neighborhood training boys and girls satisfactorily for life on the farm?
 (s) Do the farmers in your neighborhcod get the returns they reasonably should from the sale of their products?
 (D Do the farmers in your neighborhood receive from the railroads, highroads, trol- ley lines. etc, the service they reasonably should have?
 Q receive from the United States postal ser vice, rural telephone. etc, the service they reasonably should expect
 (6) Are the farmers and their wives In your neighborhood satisfactorily organized to promote their mutual buying and selling interest? CD Are the renters of farms in your neighborhood making a satisfactory living ts) Is the supply of farm labor in your neighborhood satisfactory? (9) Are the conditions surrounding hired labor on the farms in your neighborhood satisfactory to the hired men? d0) Have the farmers in your neirhbor- hood satisfactory facilities for doing their business in banking, credit insurance, etc. llD Are the sanitary conditions of the farms in your neighborhood satisfactory? Q@) Do the farmers and their wives and families in your neighborhood get toseth- CT for mutuel improvement entertainment and social intercourse much as they should?
 Under each question is left space for re- plies to the questions; Why" and What suggestion have you to make? ?"
 Commissioner Wilkinson will probably prepare the answers shortly and 1t is a safe wager that the negatives will predom-