Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1913-01-21

GAsu. swo per cent absenyed themselves
IN the cities rhis is bat one fact out
Of many that might be adduced TO show
mat the country school is inferior to the
more highly organized city educational sys-
| Since the adjournment of the last legis-
lafura yarions committees and boards have
4 been active in the Investigation of rural
school problems with the view of making
/ recommendations for enriching the courses
on Study, yitalizing the instruction and Sc
1 curing better results.
| ne Affairs invited the Training School for
| Public Service of the Bureau of Municipal
Research of New. York City to conduer an
/ investigation of the country schools of Wis
consin. In response TO this invitation and
az a very trfifng expense to the state this
investigation mas been made 1t included
general examination of educational con-
uItlons in twenty seyen counties in widely
/ separated portions of the state and more
aefale d examination of the facts concern
j Ing l31 schools III thirteen counties. The
report presents a vivid pictude OF all
phases OF rural school life; fiscal, educa-
tionaA and sanitary It is vigorous, I'M
i Derts of the Training SehcoI saw them. In
| clear; untechnfeaf language. The recon-
nlendationS given at the end of the re-
/ p0rt represent also the Judgment of lead
ing Wisconsin educators and the members
OF the Board of Public Affairs | most re-
/ sPecuully 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
! county board system Of school administra-
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
Il for
the unstinted praise of thoughtful men
| VINO live outside ollr borders than the
university of Wisconsin. fhiS preemin-
ence OF our University is due not to its
/ age, its size, nor the richness OF its en-
dowment, but principally to its willing
ness to serve all the people of the state
especially those who have never been with
| Ia its walls as resident students.
The example of Wisconsin in organtz-
| Ing extension work upon>a broad aud 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 COOPERATION.
/ The federal census of 1910 showed
substantial increase in the total popula-
| ton Of the state This increase however
/ was not uniform but was due largely to a
| gain IN the population of cities and towns.
| Many country districts actually lost in
1 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
| cons N or any particular section of the
i country. 1t is nation wide 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
i who live in the country to improve their
business methods, their systems of mar
keting ana their credit facilities-in short.
| their general economic and social eondi-
| ton.
| The legislature of 1911 took this matter
! up in very commendable way 1t crea
| ted the State Board of Public Affairs and
| directed it to make en- investigation Of co
| been done. Among other things it covers
cooperative buying and selling and co
/ operative credit.
Cooperative marketing is not new in
| Wisconsin. Its history is part of the in
/ duStrlal history of the state With it
has been group movement, not a CEN
! tralized coordinate undertaking; and the
success or failure of each group has de-
pended almost entirely upon the initiative,
| resourcefulness and business ability of the
| members themselves.
|
! in Wisconsin has not been so marked
| in Europe. But this state has stood well
| 20 the front in this great new movement.
/ Its cooperative cheese factories and cream
cries are numerous and successful Its
| fruit growers associations are sources of
| pride and profit All of its cooperative
| undertakings promise we'll
| Two steps were necessary before coop
erati~e associations could be established
on firm foundation in this state. The
| first was to pass a law providing for the
| organization and management of opera
| tive societies. The second is to educate
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 legis
lature of 1911 and the results already Sc
cured under this law mark il as one of
| the wisest and most beneficial Of the SEES
| sion. The Investigations made by the
! State Board of Public Affairs prove CON
clusiyely that the next step is just as inn
sorely need the instruction and assistance
| of a conservative and practical central or
/ ganization, and all could benefit by it.
/ Such syst N has proved of Invaluable
| assistance t. the cooperative societies of
Europe. / strongly urge therefore that
! some provision for this be now made.
! Co-oPERATIvE RURAL CREDIT.
There is real need for agricultural CO
! operative credit. The farmer often finds
! 1t difficult to secure a loan to tide 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 farm, especially in the thickly
| settled sections of the state. Indeed this
/ 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 If less substantial rewards are
offered for their labor.
AT the present time the average farmer
| is denied the credit advantages enjoyed by
| the merchant or manufacturer, even though
| be be equally honest, equally trustworthy
and equally able TO meet his financial obli
cations. His credit moreover is always an
| individual matter. Until, recently the col
/ lective credit OF a group OF farmers had
not been thought of in America. and even
now it is employed only to limited extent
| in one two states. In Europe this prob
| lem il solved by a system of rural banks
! Under the auspices of the Southern Com
| Inercial 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 10 study the operation of rural banks
| and cooperative agricultural credit societies
| in Europe. wisconsin has been invited to
| send representatives Believing | do
! that agricultural cooperation IS one of the
| big things of the future. too large and sig
! nifcant to be ditched by its short sighted
/ friends and destroyed by its own momen-
| fum, recommend the appropriation of a
/ sufficient sum of money TO defray the ex
i penses of two delegates from this state, as
| requested by those who have the matter in
/ charge | believe we have sufficient in
| formation to email BILE us to make a beginning
| in the organization of land mortgage banks
to be operated along lines similar to those
| OF the German Landschaften. These asso-
| Citations should be under the supervision
| and control of the state banking depart
rnent 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 plan for the settle
| 1nent of wild lands by cooperative col
Tony This plan contemplates the purchase
of land by an association at wholesale
| prices its sale, to Individual members of
the association at current retail prices and
the conversion of the profits accruinS here
from into a community fund to be con-
| trolled and used oy the mA,-'gers of the
colony for the establishment Of co-opera
tive creameries. cheese factories. and ware
houses the construction of roads and the
purchase of farm machinery too expensive
to be bought and owned by individuals.
1 AS worked out by its author. this plan
involves the supervision of the work Of
the association and the audit Of their ac-
4 counts BY some responsible state agency.
While this idea is new, / bespeak for it
your careful consideration to the end that
the necessary steps may be taken to pro
| vide the state supervision and auditing