The Garland globe. [volume] (Garland, Utah) 1906-191?, 1909-02-20
NEEDS OF FARMER
SHOWN By COUNTRY LIFE COM.
MISSION REPORT.
Obstacles to Be Overcome Are Point
ed Out Together with sugges-
tlons for Guidance Of the Ma
tional Government.

Washington.-Repor OF the commits
sion on country life, of especial inter
est to the farmers, was read in both
houses of congress. A summary fol
lows:
To the President: The commission
on country life herewith presents its
report The commission finds that
agriculture in the United States. taken
together. Is prosperous commercially.
when measured by the conditions that
have obtained In previous years. al f,
though there are some regions in
which this is only partially true. The
country people are producing vast
quantities of supplies for food. shelter,
clothing, and for use in the arts. The
country homes are improving In COM
fort, attractiveness and hcalthfulness
Not only in the material wealth that
they produce. but in the supply of in
dependent and strong citizenship, the ag-
ricultural people constitute the very
foundation of our national efficiency.
As agriculture Is the immediate basis
OF country life, so II follows that the
general affairs of the open country.
speaking broadly. are in a condition
of Improvement.
Most Prominent Deficiencies.
Yet 1t is true. Notwithstanding all
this progress as measured by his
torical standards. that agriculture is
not commercially as profitable as II is
entitled to be for the labor and energy
that the farmer expends and the risks
that he assumes, and that the social
conditions in the open country are far
short of their possibilities. We must
measure our agricultural efficiency by
the possibilities rather than by COM
psrison with previous conditions. The
farmer is almost necessarily handi-
capped in the development of his BUSH
ness. because his capital Is small and
the volume of his transactions limited;
and he usually stands practically
alone against organized interests. In
the general readjustment of modern
life due to the great changes in manu-
features and commerce. Inequalities
and determinations have arisen. and
naturally the separate man suffers
most. The unattached man has prob-
lens that government should UNDER
stand.
The reasons for the lack of a highly
organized rural society are very many.
as the full report explains. The lead
ing specific causes are:
Lack of good training for country
life in the schools:
Lack of good highway facilities;
The widespread continuing deple-
ton OF soils. with the injurious effect
on rural life;
A general need of new and active
leadership.
other causes contributing to the
general result are. LACK Oh any aQe-
quate system of agricultural credit,
whereby the farmer may readily Sc
cure loans on fair terms: the Short
age of labor. a condition that Is often
complicated by intemperance among
workmen; lack of institutions and In
centives that tie the laboring man to
the soil: the burdens and the narrow
life of farm women; lack OF adequate
supervision of public health.
Nature Of the Remedies.
Congress can remove some OF the
handicaps of the farmer, and II can
also set some kinds of work in motion
such as:
The encouragement of a system OF
thorough going surveys of all agricul.
tural regions in order to take stock
and to develop scientifically and
economically sound country life;
The establishing OF a nationalized
system OF extension work in rural
communities through all the land.
grant colleges with the people at their
homes and on their farms:
thorough investigation by
experts of the middleman system of
handling farm products, coupled with
general inquiry into the farmers
disadvantages in respect to taxation
transportation rates. cooperation orr
CARNATIONS and credit, and the gen.
eral business system:
An inquiry into the control and usa
| of the streams of the United States
with the object OF protecting the peo.
| pie in their ownership and of saving
| to agricultural uses such benefits as
should be reserved for these purposes:
The establishing of a highway en-.
gfneering service, or equivalent organi.
| cation, to be at the call of the states
| in working out effective and econom-
fcal highway systems:
The establishing of system Of
parcels post and postal savings
banks;
And providing some means or
| agency for the guidance of public
opinion toward the development of a
real rural society that shall rest di-
rectly on the land.
other remedies recommended for
consideration by congress are:
The enlargement of the United
| States bureau of education. to enable
| II to stimulate and coordinate the ed
! ucational work of the nation;
| Careful attention to the farmers
interests in legislation on the tariff.
on regulation of railroads. control or
| regulation of corporations and of spec
ulation. legislation in respect of riv-
ers. forests and the utilization of
| swamp lands:
| Increasing the powers of the fed
eral government in respect to ths
supervision and control OF the public
| health;
Providing such regulations as will
enable the states that do not permit
| the sale of liquors to protect them
selves from traffic from adjoining
| states.
| In setting all these forces In motion,
| the cooperation of the states will be
| necessary; and in many cases definite
state laws may greatly aid the work.
| Remedies OF a more general naturs
are: A broad campaign of publicity.
| that must be undertaken until all the
| people are informed on the whole SUBJ
| Ject of rural life, and until there is an
| awakened appreciation of the neces-
slty of giving this phase of our ma
| tional development as much attention
| as has been given to other phases OF
| interests; a quickened sense OF re-
sponsibility, in all the country people.
TO the community and the state In the
| conserving of soil fertility, and in the
necessity for diversifying farming in
order to conserve this fertility and to
develop a better rural society, and
also in the better safe-g guarding of the
strength and happiness of the farm
| s.stA lnNH tan.