Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-19

New York. Member of Committee of In
vestigators Who Went to Europe.
Maine, in common with the others in
the country, are just about 25 years
behind the times in making an inves-
tigation of rural conditions in an ef-
fort to find out what is needed to make
the farm better than it Is and to make
the life on the farm more attractive
than it has been for those who have
lived there.
This second, and very important fact,
was impressed upon the minds of the
committee by A. E. Roberts of New
York He was member of the COM
mittee of 100 that went to Europe to
investigate the farming conditions
there and to see how the problems of
the farm had been met on the other
side of the water With the others on
this commission, he obtained some as
founding facts which cannot fail to be
of interest to everyone concerned with
the life of the farmer in this country.
The committee which met at River
ton was appointed at the meeting of
the Maine State Board of Trade at the
annual meeting last summer. In its
membership it included some of the
most prominent men in business af-
fairs of the State. They were enter
tanned here Tuesday by Harry B. "
ers secretary of the committee and
recently general manager of the Cum
berland County Power & Light Co. A
special car conveyed the party to and
from the Riverton casino and in the
red room a delicious dinner was serv-
ed the visitors.
1t was expected that Governor
Haines might be in attendance, but he
did not come and Charles S. Stetson
of Greene, master of the Maine State
Grange, was detained by illness so that
he could not attend. Frank NJ. Low
president of the Portland Board of
Trade, was also unable to be present
because he was away on business.
Those in the Party.
In the party at the dinner, however
were: Hon. william T. Cobb of Rock
land, former Governor of Maine; John
r. Graham of Bangor, head of the
trolley system of the State; Frank
Keizer of Rockland, member of the
Board Of Railroad Commissioners; E.
It. Munger, the present general man
ager of the Cumberland County Pow
er & Light Co., A. A. Heald, of Water
vile, chairman of the committee and
lay secretary of the Y. M. c. A. in
charge of the Christian field work; A.
e. Bragg of Bangor, L. A. Goudy of
Portland, Edward M. Graham of Ban
gor, Frank Parsons of Kennebunk, A.
e. Roberts Of New York and Harry B.
Ivers
During the dinner hour, there was
informal discussion of the question for
the solution of which the committee
had been appointed. The idea of the
State board was to do something that
would aid the farmer in marketing
the products of his farm, provide bet
ter conditions for him and afford
means whereby he might gain better
credit from the banks and be able to
secure cheaper money.
A. &. Roberts Epeaks.
Mr.. Roberts was asked to tell some
thing of the conditions as he found
them on the inspection trip to Europe.
Very comprehensively and in
sketchy manner, he touched briefly on
number of points Cheap money for
the farmers, he said, was to be found
in France, Germany and Ireland, and
because of this ability on the part of
the farmers to get money at low rate
of interest, economic, industrial and
social conditions had been vastly i'm
proved. The rate is made as low as
possible so that when it is needed the
farmers are able to get it at once.
In tracing very briefly the visit Of
the commission, of which he was
member, to Europe, Mr.. Roberts said