Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1910-11-05
NORTHWEST GETS PUBLICITY.
Country Life Commission Finds Live
Wire in Spokane Chamber of
Commerce.

Commerce.
Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Mon
tana are receiving much desirable pub
Lefty of continent-wide extent as a re-
suit of thousands of letters and
pamphlets sent to all parts of the
United States by the country life com
rlittee of the Spokane Chamber of Com
merce to editors of agricultural jour
nails, educators, farmers and business
men in an endeavor to interest them in
the Country Life convention in Spokane
on November II in connection with the
National Apple show.
The committee is working with state
commissions in accordance with pre-
liminary plans formulated at the con
ference in Spokane last November.
These commissions are made up as
follows:
Washington-David Brown, Spokane,
chairman; A. L. Rogers, Waterville; J.
l.. Dumas, Dayton; Miss Mary Carpen-
ter, Bellingham, and w. H. Paulhamus,
Puyallup.
Oregon-C. E. Whistler, Medford,
chairman; Edwin Mays, Flanagan; Z.
IL. Shepard, Hood River; George A.
Doris, Eugene, and L. t. Reynolds,
Salem
Idaho-Ralph II. Schneeloch, Jerome,
chairman; IL. 7. French, Caldwell; Mrs.
Mary G. Butterfeld, Weiser; Miss Alice
Beach, Blackfoot, and B. T. Byrnes,
Moscow.
MONTANA. II. Durston, Anaconda,
chairman; F. S. Cooley, Bozeman; M.
L.. Dean, Missoula; Mrs. c. E. Conrad,
Kalispell, and Mrs. II. B. Mitchell,
Great Falls.
The purpose of the convention is to
hear comments upon the country life
hall, which is part of the consolidated
rural school and community center
project, with a view to working out
practical plan to be agreed upon by the
open convention. 1t is purposed to be-
gin work soon upon the community cen
ter in Spakone county, the first to be
established in the United States, and
upon its success depends largely the
creation of similar districts in many
other parts of the northwest.
The plan, outlined at the conference
here last year, has since attracted the
attention of the foremost educators and
sociologists of the world, who see in its
adoption the solution of the problem of
how to improve and popularize farm life
and agricultural pursuits, while its pro-
jectors believe the practical application
of the idea will do more than any other
public movement to attract desirable
class of homemakers and producers to
the sparsely settled districts of the
northwestern and Pacific states.
"The preliminary plan calls for a
site of 10 acres of land in the center
of the district to be created,' said
Major Edwin A. Smith, secretary of the
committee, ''and upon it are to be
located a community hail. which can
be used for meetings and social gath
erings by the people of the district, the
grange, Farmers union and other organ
izations; a teacher cottage, athletic
and Fairgrounds, picnic grove, school
garden, propagating plats and other
features. In Short real community
center in the open country.
Sin planning the hall, which will be
the only subject discussed at the No
vember conference, we desire a general
expression of opinion as to its equip
ment to fill the needs of the farmers in
the district, also whether it is thought
desirable to employ a salaried secretary
to gather and distribute information of
Importance to growers and producers
in his community.
"Another question is: Should the
federal government award prize ribbons
to farmers raising the best crops, stock
and poultry in each district Also,
should there be available at the hall a
complete description of how the neigh
borhood prize-winner raised his crop, so
that every farmer in the community
may be benefited by this knowledge.
Would this information, if available,
result in increasing the gross income
from the farm by SIS an acre, or $1,000
year for every 10000 acres embraced
by the district9''