The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-08-26
EXTEND A HAND
Bankers Discuss Welfare of the
Agriculturists.
At the Meeting Being Held in
Kansas City.
BETTER SCHOOLS And ROADS
Are Urged as Chief Means to
Increased Prosperity.
Lack of Education Great Draw
back to Success.
BETTER SCHOOLS and ROADS

Kansas City, Aug. 26.-Bankers, the
men who handle the country's wealth
| and farmers. the great producers of it..
have put their heads together and now
| are cooperating in a fight to reduce
the cost of living through improve
ment of farm conditions, according to
| speake who addressed the third an
nual meeting of the committee on ag-
ricultural development and education
of the American Bankers association
here today Stress was laid at today's
session upon the movements for rural
high schools and for scientific county
| advisers for the farmers
when Germany. with it's intensive
farming methods, produces nine times
as much rye as the United States, and
beats us in similar ratio in a half
dozen other farm products, although
her area is only about that of Mime
sofa, Iowa and Missouri, it is time that
this country turn its attention to the
problem of efficiency in agriculture,
that greatest producing agency in the
world
This statement was made by Joseph
Chapman of Minneapolis, chairman of
the meeting. He announced that the
bankers idea in delving into farm con-
ditions was not to teach the farmer
how to run his farm, but to bring him
in touch with knowledge that would
improve vastly his old methods of run
ming it.
Rural High Schools.
John Fields of Oklahoma City, ed
itor of the Oklahoma Farmer. in an
earnest appeal for rural high schools,
said the key to the whole question of
better farm conditions was the i'm
provement of the rural school
This back to the farm talk as put
forward is tommyrot," declared Mr..
Fields so long as educational facil-
tiles are centered in the town while
the farmers children get their made
quate Smattering of education in an
after thought of a school house, a one
roomed shack with an irresponsible
teacher, so long will the self respect
ing farmer as soon as he is able take
his family to town to give them the
cultural opportunities that were de
MED him.
The best people of the farm are
being pulled out every year, not by
the bright lights of city or town but
because necessity in this day of pro-
gress compels it if the farmer would
keep abreast of the time until the
states of the union learn that the ele
mentary education of all the people
is of more importance than the fash
iOnable higher education of the few,
the problem of better and more at
tractive farm conditions will never be
solved 1t is a fact that a vast num-
Der of farmers today in the most pro-
education to enable them to grasp
what is communicated by the printed
page
Mr.. Fields explained proposed plans
for union of school districts and the
esta blishment of one rural high |
school for certain number of graded
school districts.
Good Roads a Factor.
Good roads as another important
factor of the farm improvement |
!, r,e-,rr n
by VIM. G Edens, a Chicago banker, |
secretary of the agricultural commit |
tee of the Illinois Bankers association |
in his address. Mr.. Edens said if the |
served in Missouri last week, by pro-
of Gov. Major proved upon
final investigation to have been as vast
as reported he would urge that Illi- |
nois make a similar move to stir up
road enthusiasm in that state.
Improved highways mean larger
schools and better attendance, better
health and quicker medical attention,
better crops and cheaper transporta-
ton, better economic conditions, bet
ter church attendance and better citi-
zens,'' he said. ''They mean better
postal service and closer friends, bet
ter business and more consumers, bet
ter industries and more employment"
Mr.. Edens said he had just returned
from a tour of good roads meetings
in which he visited dozen states. He
said he found enthusiasm on road i'm
intense wherever he went
What scientific farm demonstration
and cooperation among farmers had
done for North Dakota was explained
in a report by Thomas Cooper, man
ager of Better Farming association of
North Dakota. He said his organiza-
ton employed 25 field agents, experts
in the solution of all ordinary farm
problems, to carry demonstration
methods to the farmers. He said:
We found that experiment stations
in many instances are not accessible
to many of the farmers or not appli-
ca BILE to individual conditions. Our as
sociation carries the demonstration to
the individual farmer and works it out
on his own land. Avera ges computed
on the farms of the 2,346 farmers who
cooperate with us last year show that
their yield of corn was II bushels per
acre more than before use of the dem
onstration methods and their yield of