River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-01-16


that the country school is inferior to the
more highly organized city educatlonal Sys-
TEN.
Iature various committees and boards have
been active in the investigation of rural
school problems with the view OF making
recommendations for enriching the courses
of study, vitalizing the instruction and Sc
curing better results.
In November, 1911, the Board of Pub
Tic Affairs invited the Training School for
Public Service of the Bureau of Municipal
Research of New York City to conduct an
investigation of the country schools OF Wis
conSin. In response to this invitation and
at very trifling expense to the state this
investigation has been made 1t Included
a general examination of educational con-
ditions in twenty Seven counties in widely
separated portions of the state and more
detailed examination of the facts concern
ing Isl schools in thirteen counties. The
phases of rural school life; fiscal, educa
tional and sanitary. 1t is vigorous, I'M
biased statement of the facts as the ex
perts of the Training School saw them. in
mendations given at the end of the re-
port represent also the Judgment of lead
of the Board of Public Affairs. | most re-
spectfully recommend this report to your
careful study and consideration.
/ am personally well satisfied that no
greater service can be rendered the cause
of education in Wisconsin at the present
time than the establishment by law of the
county board system of school admlnlstra-
ton. This is the key to the whole prob
lem-the point at which all effective re-
form must begin.
UNIVERSITY EXTENSION
Among the educational institutions of
America none more frequently calls tor
the unStinted praise of thoughtful men
who live outside our borders than the
University of Wisconsin. This preemin
ence of our University is due not to its
age, its size, nor the richness of its en-
dnWmp0f nrinPin3lIV
ness to serve all the people of the state,
especially those who have never been with
in its walls as resident students.
The example of Wisconsin in organic
ing extension work upon broad and in
elusive basis has already been followed by
more than 20 state universities and was
recently copied by a number of privately
endowed institutions, such as Columbia
and Harvard.
AGRICULTURAL CO-OPERATION.
The federal census of 1910 showed
ton of the state. This increase however
was not uniform but was due largely to
gain in the population of cities and towns
Many country districts actually lost in
population and others made but slight
gains. Nineteen counties, mostly devoted
to farming, declined in total population
and twenty nine in rural population. Mean
while the city of Kenosha, largely devoted
to manufacturing, doubled in numbers and
the city of Milwaukee, the chief industrial
center of Wisconsin, increased more in
population than all the rural districts of
the state combined. But the city-ward
drift of population is not confined to Wis
conSin or any particular section of the
country. 1t is nationwide and is. due to
numerous and complex causes. Some of
these represent social progress but others
indicate the existence of serious defects in
the economic and social conditions of cOun-
try life.
So far as it is within our power there
fore, steps should be taken to aid people
who live in the country to improve their
business methods, their systems of mar
keting and their credit facilit1es-in short,
their general economic and social condi-
ton.
The legislature of 1911 took this matter
up in a very cOmmendable way. 1t crea-
ted the State Board of Public Affairs and
directed it to make an investigation of co
operation and marketing. This work has
been done. Among other things it covers
cooperative buying and selling and CO.
operative credit.
Cooperative marketing is not new in
Wisconsin. It's history is part of the in
dustrial history of the state. With us it
has been group movement, not cen
traliZed coordinate undertaking; and the
success or failure of each group has de-
pended almost entirely upon the initiative,
YeSourcefulneSs and business ability or the
members themselves.
The success of agricultural cooperation
i'll Wisconsin has not been so marked as
in Europe. But this state has stood well
to the front in this great new movement.
It's cooperative cheese factories and cream
cries are numerous and successful. Its
pride and profit. All of It's cooperative
undertakings promise well.
Two steps were necessary before coop
eratiYe associations could be established
on a firm foundation in this state. The
first was to pass law providing for the
organization and management of co-0pera-
and assist all persons interested in the
subject in the methods to be pursued and
the dangers to be avoided.
The first step was taken by the leg1s-
of results already
cured under this law mark it as one of
the wisest and most beneficial of the SEES
sion. The Investigations made by the
State Board of Public Affairs prove con-
clusively that the next step is just as i'm
portant. Many cooperative societies
sorely need the instruction and assistance
of a conservative and practical central or
ganization, and all could benefit by 1T.
Such a system has proved of 1nyaiuablee
Europe. I strongly urge therefore, that
some provision for this be now made.
COOPERATIVE RURAL CREDIT.
There il real need for agricultural CO.
operative credit. The farmer often finds
it difficult to secure loan to tlde over
the period between seed time and harvest,
to buy stock and machinery or to make
permanent improvements upon his land. 1t
is even more difficult for him to buy and
pay for q farm, especially in the thickly
settled sections of the state. Indeed TINS
task is so hard as to discourage many and
drive them to other states where land is
cheaper or TO other occupations where more
immediate IL less substantial rewards are
offered for their labor.
At the present time the average farmer
is denied tho credit advantages enjoyed by
the merchant or manufactures, even though
he be equally honest, equally Trustworthy
and equally able to meet his fi n nf oom,
Individual matter. Until recently the col
lective credi& of a group of farmers had
not been thought of in America: and even even
now it is employed only to limited extent
in one or two states. In Europe this prob
lem is solved by a system of rural banks.
Under the auspices of the Southern Com
mercial Congress and the international In
stitute of Agriculture delegation made up
of two representatives from each state in
the Union will go abroad in April OF this
year to study the operation OF rural banks
and cooperative agricultural credit societies
in Europe Wisconsin has been invited to
send representatives. Believing as l DO
big things of the future, too large and sig
nificant to be ditched by its short sighted
friends and DESTROYED by It's own momen-
tum. 1 recommend the appropriation of
sufficient sum Of money to defray the eX-
penses of two delegates from this state, as
requested by those who have the matter in
charge / believe we have sufficient in
formation to enaple us to make beginning
i'm the organization of land mortgage banks
to be operated along s,n T6a 80
Citations should be under the supervision
and control of the state banking depart
ment and their powers should be carefully
limited to what is necessary to accomplish
the purposes here mentioned.
Cooperative Land Colonies.
The State Board of Public Affairs has
under consideration a plan for the settle
ment of wild lands by cooperative col
ony. This plan contemplates the purchase
of land by an association at wholesale
nrices. its sale to individual members of
the association at current retail prices and
the conversion of the profits accruing there
from into a community fund to be con
trolled and used by the members of the
colony for the establishment of co-opera-
five creameries, cheese factories, and ware