Norwich bulletin., 1914-03-09
COUNTY IMPROVEMENT LEAGUE
Organized Largely Attended and Enthusiastic Meeting Town Hall-An Phases of The Subject Treated by Bat tery of SpeakersPartial List of Directors be Com pleted Next Saturday.

It consumed. He spoke Of statistics which showed that agricultural pro- ducts increased 50 per cent. between value when raised and value when sold to ultimate consumer and he predict ed that the day was coming when sell ing organizations would remedy much of this.
 Talk on Road Work.
 State Highway Commissioner c. J. Bennett of Hartford, who was next in troduced. referred to the policy of the state department to give attention to the smaller roads. while at the same time doing the necessary work on the main trunk lines. He indicated that he believed that there ought to be an advisory board to confer with the state department regarding what might be called the byways of the state, and when these were improved he believed it would be a big step in
 the solution of the problem of the
 abandoned farms of Connecticut. He advised the meeting that the towns could have their roads in much better condition with the money they were
 spending and he thought it WAS in the
 province of the state highway depart
 ment to give them advice to show how
 to spend their money so that there would be a lowered cost in haulage
 because roads were better.
 New London Promises Support. E. E. Rogers of the New London Business Mems association was intro duced as a real live wire and he made a bright speech in which he commend ed the safe and sane enthusiasm, founded upon education, which was being generated upon this subject be- fore the meeting. He spoke of the Boston meeting of the New England Federation of Rural Progress and said its keynote had been cooperation be-
 tween the producer and the consumer.
 Referring to the coming development
 at New London through the million
 dollar pier project, he said that as they were about to be made the gate
 way to the commerce of New England they could not fail to give their hearty
 support to this county farm bureau.
 How to Keep Money Circulating. H. O. Daniels of Middletown, who IS connected with the state agricultural
 department, was introduced as a farm
 demonstrator. He asked the audience to consider why Connecticut didn't
 produce the eggs, butter, milk and other farm products, and to think over how much more money would be kept
 in circulation right among our own
 communities rather than buying so
 much outside the state if the Connec- ticut agriculturists raised what the Connecticut consumers r"@uired. He
 gave illustrations of what this would
 mean and said he believed the farmers
 of the state are already profiting by
 the advice and assistance that is be-
 ing given them by the state. He said
 he believed there was an enlargement
 movement on foot among the farms of
 the state and the farmers were making g
 records that will be hard to match in orchards. dairies and vegetable grow
 CTS. He said he hoped Middlesex
 county would follow New London
 county in the formation of a farm bureau.
 From Department at Washington.
 L. E. Dodge of the agricultural de-
 partment at Washington, being New
 England representative, was the fol-
 lowing speaker. He said that the suC-
 cessfuI farmer was the real source of
 information on how to run farms
 right, and he took up the question of
 how we are to get cheap food. He
 said it would be because the farmer
 was providing food in the most eff cient way of working. It would not
 be like the farmer who said he had a pretty easy way of earning a living; worked two months in the year and sat with his feet on the stove the other ten.
 If the farmer prospers and has add ed purchasing power, the merchants will share in his prosperity. He told the merchants they had nothing to fear because of the talk of buying | agencies, for if the farmers do buy that way and their farm products are better thereby, the agriculturalist will have more money to spend. and they will spend it with the merchants. MT. Dodge discussed some of the es- sential qualifications for county farm agent that the department in Wash ington looked for. Real handle ex- perience was a prime requisite he said, and to this must be added tech nical knowledge and an acquaintance with business and people that would Ir17sa l. h h the first year, with chances for pro- motion. He will serve everyone alike who has some question that he wants him to dig out. The department con- siders the man merely upon his eff1- ciency under civil service rules. The county agent ought to have one day a week for office work but he should not be an office man. He should be right out on the firing line. Mir Dodge said the county agent should have the ear nest backing of everybody if the most value was to be obtained from his 1 services, and he estimated that about $2, 800 a year would need to be raised for the salary and expenses of the county agent.
 What Has Been Done in Massachu- setts.
 What has been accomplished through the Hampden County I'm provement league in Massachusetts, which has served largely as a pattern for this New London county plan was l interestingly told by J. A. Scheuerle | secretary of the Hampden county league
 He said that about a year ago the suburban committee of the Spring field board of trade organized the Hampden County Improvement league They recognized the fact that Hamp- den county had developed rapidly. in dustrially, for the last 100 years, that | it had increased in wealth and popu- | lation at an almost phenomenal rate and yet had gone back agriculturalIy They felt that by applying the same kind of efficiency to the business of | industries of the county. the whole situation could be changed and were determined to do for agriculture what had been done for manufacturing wealth and population.
 It was made a peoples movement a get-together of the farmers and the business men who have ever since been taking the responsibility very l largely and have really initiated the whole movement The league asked the United States government and the participate in the work so that today | they have a joint committee compose ed l of the executive committee of the 1 league. three members representing | the Massachusetts Agricultural col | lege and one representing the United | States government. This joint com mittee directs the general policy oi l the league
 1 The league has engaged a genera | secretary. agricultural adviser, horti-
 cultural adviser and office manager