The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1913-04-26
TO STUDY
FOREIGN CREDIT SYSTEMS

and several other prominent govern
ment officials were also present.
The plan of sending a commission
of investigation to Europe originated
at the meeting of the Southern Com
mercial Congress which was held in
April of last year in Nashville, Tenn.
The plan evolved at that gathering
met with the hearty approval of the
federal government and of the gov
ernments of the states of the Union
and in accordance with it each state
appointed two delegates to the COM
mission, whose expenses are to be
paid by their respective states Pres
ident Wilson appointed commission
of seven to represent the federal gov
eminent, with Senator Duncan U.
Fletcher, of Florida, as chairman; the
commission also includes the dele
gates appointed by the Secretary OF
State to attend the International lnsti-
tute of Agriculture which will open
at Rome on May Z.
. In accordance with the plan elab-
GRATED for the work of the commission,
the scope of the investigation provides
} for an examination of the methods
employed by progressive agricultural
communities in Europe in production
and marketing, and in the financing
lof both these operations. In addition
to that the following special subjects
are to be investigated: The parts
played, respectively, in the promotion
of agriculture by the governments
and by voluntary organizations of the
agricultural classes; the application of
the cooperative system to agrlcul-
tural production, distribution and fl
nance; the effect of cooperative sys
tenn to agricultural production, distri
button and finance; the effect OF co
operative organization upon socla
conditions in rural communities; tine
relation of the cost of living to the
business organization of the food-pro
ducing classes.
It has long been recognized through
out the United States that the farm
ers of the country who number abou
Il. 100000 and who annually add So
400. OOO, 900 to the national wealth, ar
. seriously handicapped by the lack
a financial credit system adequate I
their needs. 1t is estimated that th
farmers of the United States are en-
blowing about $6,OOO,000,0O0 of DO
rowed capital on which they annual
have to pay S51O,000,000 interest
Counting commissions and renew
charges, the rate averages IL Pr
cent while the farmers in German
. and other European countries can
tain all the capital required by the
of rate of interest of from 3 IL
1-2 per cent. In Germany
we'll as in other European countrl
the rural credit" system has be-
developed with excellent results al
to great benefit to the agrlcultul
classes and it is believed by the pl
meters of the commission that 81
ilarlv beneficial results may be
tanned by the inauguration OF az
ouate AGRICULTURAL credit system IN I
United States Canada also is grea
interested in the subject and eve
one of the Canadian provinces IS
resented in the commission by dc
gates.
Afr reaching Rome the commlss
will he given a reception by the
ternational Institute of Agriculture
Nav 10, and on the following day
members will be received by the k
and queen of italy at the Qulrll
The commission will remain In II
eight days and during that time
visit Naples, Florence, Bologna
Milan. Thence it will proceed
Austria Hungary, spending nVe Q
at Vienna and five at Budapest,
itinerary also includes ten Gays
Germany, with stops at Munich u
den. Berlin and Cologne, ten day
Denmark and Sweden; ten day in
GUM and Holland; eight days
France; eight days in England