Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1913-12-12
BOARD RECOMMENDS
lANSCHAFTEN PLAN
FOR RURAL CREDITS
Would Permit Farmers to Band
Together to Obtain Long
Time Loans.
NOW UNDER CAPITALIZED.
Efficient Farm Management Need
ed, However, Says Investigat-
ing Commission.

Senator Metcalf and Representative
Black, Washington members of the
American rural credits commission,
have Just made at the request OF Gov
ernor Lister, final report on the az
ricultural credit needs of this state.
One copy of this report, based on
thorough study of European credit
systems as applied to the needs of this
state. has been filed with the governor,
while Senator Metcalf took another
CODY this week to meeting OF the
American commission at Washington,
d. c.
The "Landschaften system" which
allows farmers to band together to OBJ
tain long time loans for district I'M
provement, is recommended for adop-
tion by the Washington commissioners.
This plan is similar to that applied IN
drainage and irrigation districts.
To guarantee security for such long
time loans, however, the farmers must
manage their farms so as not to ROB
the soil. the commissioners report.
The first section of the report, which
is of the utmost interest to Washing
ton farmers, as the present session OF
Congress is expected to enact legisla'
ton following the report Of the Amer
ican commission, is printed below. Inc
balance of the report will be printed in
succeeding issues of this paper:
To the Governor of Washington. Olym-
pia, Washington:
Pursuant to your request for re-
port upon the agricultural needs OF
this state, for transmission to the per-
manent American commission on agrl-
cultural finance, production, distr1Du-
ton. rural life:
The soil and climate of Washington
are unsurpassed for agriculture. 1t Is
the one state capable of producing prac-
tically everything needed. Its prog
ress and the happiness and prosperity
of its people would continue, II 1t were
separated fro mthe rest Of the world
by an impossible wall.
In Washington as elsewhere the far
mers are under capitalized. A system
of very longtime farm loans Is needed
on the amortization plan. This can
best be secured on the Landschaften
system of collective security. This
state has extended this system from
to port districts, diking districts, drain
to portd istricts, diking districts, drain
age districts and agricultural develop
ment districts. 1t should be extended
to provide collective security for loans
for 80 years or longer to farmers, pay
able by amortization. Short time per-
sonal loans are also needed at very
reduced rate Of interest and much more
easily to be obtained.
This necessitates a guarantee that
the security, Individual or collective,
land or personal, shall not deteriOrate
in value. that 1t shall be worth as
much intrinsically at any time during
the loan and when the mortgage Is due,
as It is the day of the loan. A loan is
not justified on farm which the bor-
rover robs Of its productive value, to
leave it stripped of fertility and pro-
ductivity, as we have done In America
for several generations.
Farming must be so managed, crops
so planned, fertilizer so used, that its
value ia not stolen but maintained, it's
vital element restored as 1t is with
drawn in crops. Every farmer in Eu-
rope knows this; his first thought is
study and analysis of the soil, crop ro-
tation and fertilizer and before he
buys his seed, he buys his chemical.
Maintaining the productivity of the
soil is a contract feature in his loan.
Some European governments by law
prescribe a crop rotation that shall ac-
,complish this. for without 1t ruin and
starvation would be inevitable.
To this end dairying and raising beef
cattle is essential in the grain belt of
Eastern Washington and is probably
the best first step in the development
of the logged-off lands Of Western
Washington. This will not only pre-
serve fertility but will double the value
of the land and produce greatly in
creased returns. This state Is ship
ing large amount of lumber east for
CONTINUED on page 2.)