The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1911-01-12
MIN ADVOCATES 1-~-
Clearing House Bank
For -, Farmers, Idea
=. Broached in the West

mouse system for farmers is pro-
posed as a practical solution Of the
cooperation recommended by Secre-
tary Wilson and others, the idea be-
ing that of Chicago map, Seth
Farns%orthI He contends that it
Will supplement the postal savings
bank. facilities for saving which at
last, and with decided success, have
been inaugurated in 60 towns and
cities under the bill passed by the
last Congress. Let the farmers of
the county, or tmany Of them, organ
lie a farmers clearing house asso-
lclat1on, choose one bank in the
county to act as their clearing
house, and give that bank an as
signment from each member Of all
OF the products Of his farm. this to
be sold by the bank and the pro-
ceeds held to the credit of the far
mer," said Mr.. Farnsworth. LET
each sign IA agreement not to pur-
chase anything, food, clothing, ma
chinery, automobiles, or stock, ex-
cept through the clearing house bank
and let the arrangement be that no
member can withdraw cash except at
stated intervals. BY this plan, if a
cal dealers, let him have the right
to do so, but receive the money in
credit check on the bank, that check
to be deposited with the clearing
house bank Provision should be
made that-if- any members crops
are unequal in. any year to pay for
his and his family's necessities, he
may temporarily draw from the
funds of the association held by the
bank, and work his crops under di-
rection of government experts until
he repays the advance. This clear
ing house plan is practical and will
solve the eVer-present trouble, the
need Of a circulating medium, mon
ey, when credits for crops should an
swer- equally we'll When a man
has money in his pocket he is likely
to spend it. If it is a credit with
the clearing house bank he will have
ned fhcu4ty- purchasing -every-
thing he needed, including luXuries,
-and~he~ and=his fellow ME mbers will
be able to buy everything at much
better prices. Any bank would be
glad to enter into such an arrange
ment and perform the work on per
cent margin, and it would increase
enormously and almost instantly the
banks deposits and resources"
reducing by One-half the appall-
ing and growing loss of life in rail-
road operations in the United States
by adoption in every state of Eng
lands ban against the use of rail
road rights Of way as public thor
|oughfares, and also by the compul-
sorry safeguarding of tracks by mod
elm signal apparatus is declared DOS
sible in bulletins Of the League for
Public Safety from headquarters in
chicago. In many states laws to
prohibit trespassing upon rights of
way and to provide means for en-
torcement Of those laws have been
proposed and in Wisconsin and In
diana are urged with particular en-
phasis ythe. railroad commissions.
approximately ,one-half Of the vic
Tins of casualties resulting from
railroad operations are "trespassers"
who use the rights of way as thor
oughfares, including the tramps who
risk their lives on railroad trains.
Both Indiana and Wisconsin have es-
tablished "safety departments" and
the plan is under consideration in
many other states. In Wisconsin
the result has been the discovery
that railroads lose an enormous
amount of traffic by their failure to
expedite the movement Of trains by
means of up-to-date signal appara-
tus. Figures compiled by the
League for Public Safety show that
those railroads which have been
most progressive in providing safe
guards for travellers and employees
by intalling the best signal apparat-
us yet available are the ones which
show the largest earnings and the
smallest losses in wrecks. The esti-
mated loss Of 100000 annually
tin-the- railroads. wreck waste does
not take into consideration the loss
OF revenues due to the impeded traf-
| fic when, for lack of signal equip
ment, trains can be moved only at a
very slow speed even in good wealth
| err. The figures do not take into con-
| sideration either the losses charged
into various accounts as result Of in
terrupted traffic when wrecks occur
| The five American railroads which
had clean record in 1909 Of not a
fatality in train accidents out Of
their millions Of passengers were
ones which have the best signaling
safeguards. The Burlington system
| has 1881 miles of block signals out
Of total mileage Of 9092, which APP
proximates. the. protection on rail
roads of England, every mile Of
which has block signal safeguards.