Daily Arizona silver belt., 1909-02-13
COUNTRY LITE COMMISSION

COUNTRY LIFE COMMISSION
 Although the commission on country life appointed by President Roosevelt has completed the Investigations plann ed and has made its report, that report has not been made public. But one of the commissioners happened to be the editor of magazine called The Worlds Work, and an editorial in that publica- tion for February may we'll be judged to foreshadow what the commission has discovered as to the causes of the un- popularity of country life and as to the solution of the problem as to how to make farm life more pleasing. It may be taken that the article, being by member of the commission, is to some extent, authoritative.
 The commission, it seems, held hear ings in thirty states, and it received an swers to a series of questions relating to farm life to the number of 125,000. This was in addition to a host of volun- tary information sent in by letter. A sitting of all this material leads the commission to the conclusion that the level of well being in rural communi- ties is higher now than it has ever been The population in the country is steadily increasing; it's productiveness is becom- ing greater, and there is a marked ac- cession to the comforts of the farmer 8 life.
 But there are still many needs, and the member whom we are quoting says: Everywhere emphasis was laid
 by the people upon the need of good
 roads-good roads first, good roads last, good roads everywhere-and almost every community in the
 United States seems to he waking
 up on the subject. Equal emphasis was laid upon the necessity of mak-
 ing the rural school system more ef-
 fective in its training for country life. Criticism of the schools as they
 now exist was almost universal by
 the people, because their influence
 is rather to turn youth away from
 the soil than to train them how to
 make the soil more productive and how to live on 1t more satisfactor- fly. There is in fact a universal un-
 rest on educational subjects, an un-
 rest so profound and general as to | point to the necessity of fundamen- tai changes.''
 Then, too, this commissioner speaks of the peoples need of an extension of the rural free delivery service; they wish parcels post, and are strongly in favor of postal savings banks Then, too, there is a general desire expressed for better cooperation in buying and selling staple products-a desire among the farmers to do business for them selves.
 All this is mighty interesting, if it is not particularly new It does tend to show, however, that the country people are awaking to their own best interests, and that they are realizing that it is necessary for them to help themselves. Among other problems that confront them is the problem of farm labor, which is a formidable one, and one to which many of the ills of rural life may be traced. It is owing to the scarcity of farm labor that much of the distasteful work of the farm falls on the shoulders of the farmer and his family, and life for the youngsters be- comes succession of rough work and dreary monotony, so that it is small wonder that the rising generation wants to get away
 But the thing that strikes one about the labor of this commission is. now that it is done and the report is made to the president, what can he do? The problems that must assail the rural population are quite beyond the reach of federal aid or legislation; they are matters for the counties, or perhaps the individual states. Nothing that the president can do will aid the rural com munities in getting better schools, oi for that matter, better roads. If the farmers realize that ease of communi. cation which comes with good roads makes for happier and more comfor table farm life, then it is for them tc see that they get good roads. The rem edy rests in their own hands, and the national government cannot help then --save by pointing out the need.
 In the matter of farm labor the fed eral government may help. It has al ready done so, and in doing so, as wit ness the efforts of the commissioner oi