Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-12-17

and farm credits. Their findings will
be formulated into report and prop
ably ordered printed by the Congress
of the United States. When printed,
II will be available for use, and L
would recommend that the farmers in
Maine and members of the Grange eV-
erywhere, make study of this docu-
ment to the end that when the time
comes CAS- come it WILD you will be
ready to lend hand in this forward
upllft movement. 1t may be of in
terest to note what the commission
above referred to says of one of the
small German banks. as reported In
leading paper:
"Dossenheim. Germany. July 10
The cashier of the Raiffeisen bank OF
this village, who is also the post
master and a considerable political
figure in his community. welcomed to
his house today five members of the
American Commission on Agricultural
/ Cooperation.
Records of the Dossenheim bank
showed it to be a society of 2So MEM
| bers, about half of whom were labor
ers in a nearby quarry, but who main
/ tanned small parcels of land they
worked with the aid of their families,
and about half of whom We're small
farmers owning or renting on an av-
erage 2Jh acres each. The cultivation
of these farms was extremely intensive
truck farming it would have been
called in the United States.
1T is upon such deposits as the one
Z 81 lei. sc hD nri
cans that the Dossenheim institution
/ depends chiefly for its funds where
with to make loans 10 its members. 1t
may also borrow from the Central CO.
! operative bank with which 1t is affil-
I lated. At the present time the de-
mands for loans are Heavy and it has
a debit of the Central institution. The
institution commands about $4,000 to
finance its 2s5 members.
s'For their deposits the members of
/ the bank receive per cent. interest.
Deposits are also accepted from the
/ non-members, but only So per cent. is
| paid them-an unusual proceeding
which it would seem difficult to accept
| as good business policy. Only about
/ 5000 in cash is kept at the bank. 1t
is the object of the local bank to lend
out all of the money which it receives
to it's members. If, however. the de-
mands for loans are insufficient to
| keep all of the funds at home. the sur
plus is deposited with the central
banks. which pays the local bank 31A
per cent. interest. When the funds of
/ the local banks are insufficient to meet
! demands for loans, it borrows from the
central bank and pays A per cent. in
/ terest ON such loans. The loans are
made to farmers either on their own
note and without other security than
1 the liza bility which they have assumed
/ upon entering the bank or, if their
F, standing is not particularly good, upon
| their note endorsed by one or two
| sureties Some money Is loaned on
i mortgages, although the central insti-
/ tutions discourage this practice"
/ 1t is probable that conditions and
people differ so widely in Europe and
America that we must have an entire
! ly different method. But their success
! along this line is so pronounced that
we need not fear to endorse and be-
come identified with the promotion OF.
] farm credits that helps the farmer IN
America.
Conservation.
/ As a nation we have fabulous wealth
| in almost every form of natural re-
sources. An enumeration of the items
would weary us. 1t includes almost
I everything found in any part of the
world and usually in greater abund-
ance. 1t would seem that for years we
have tirelessly devoted time and ener-
gy to wasting and destroying these
| gifts of nature.
/ The results are beginning to awaken
the masses of the people. Most COM
mendable efforts have been made by
the national government to prevent
/ the continuance of this waste and de-
struction. These agencies should re-
ceive our unstinted approval and sup
I port. In our own State much may be
| done to protect and increase the
/ growth of timber and to retain control
/ of and utilize our water power. And
more especially, in this connection, l
want to call your attention to the fact
! that farmers should be vitality con-
cerned in the matter of conserving wa
| ter-power l am sure that agricultural
development in Maine depends largely
upon a proper development of water
power and a right distribution of that
power when developed, and this will be
the subject of the next big legislative
agitation.
What is wanted and what must ul-
! timately result in waterpower develop
ment is that it shall be developed
and made available for use and for
sale to anybody who wishes to buy. We
are not in sympathy with nor will we
subscribe to, the idea that this God
| given bounty of waterpower is to be
| developed and made available only for
the purpose of turning the wheels of
| industry in cities and centers of pop
| ulation. 1t should be available for use
| upon the farm. Maine has a magnifi-
| cent and practically undeveloped re-
source in its water-powers, and this
! power generated into electricity and
made cheaply available to farmers and
| others of small means, would very ma
| terially lessen the cost of production
of farm products, and would furnish
a cheap. direct and expeditions mode of
transportation from the farm to the
consumer.
Finding conditions as we do, State