Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1914-10-02

only friends and Just aching TO serve
them. Bryan county farmers have
had SO much of this -tommy-rot that
IT. is about time the real truth were
known occasionally.
Now. to The case inApoint. Last
March the Duraht Chamber Of Com
merce entered into contract with
the United States Departm6nt or Ag-
riculture to send an expert farmer
here to work among the farmers of
Bryan county, assisting them in
every way possible to improve their
condition, by cultivating their farms
more intelligently, using better seed !,
sro%sng better crops and marketing
them to a better advantage. Uncle
Sam agreed to pay half Of the agents
salary Of 1890 per year. The legis-
lature at its last session enacted
law authorizing the county commits.
sioners to appropriate $500 toward
the salary OF a farm agent, and the
ChaIhbey of Commerce felt svref ana
had assurances from some Of the
commissioners, That they6 would -be
glad to do this. The. Chamber Of
comneree proposed to pay the other
800. to make UP the esl2Qel salary,
and agreed also to furnish the agent
an office And. further than that,
the Chamber OF Commerce made
better trade than any of the other
counties, BY, getting the, government
to pay AZ iof the agent salary up to
July /. 1914; after, which for one
year, up to- JUDY lp15. the regular
contract was to run. 4 A. A3AA4S
When the county commissioners
met in July committee from. the
Chamber OF Commerce called upon
them and asked that they appropriate
$500 e, help pay The county, farm
agents salary, on the advice of tho
county clerk the nission ers5 5turn4
ed the committee down. Again at
the September meetingg of the com !,
missioners, another comfnittee an
peared before, them and asked them
to show their friendship for the
farmers of Bryan county, who need
ed advice and encouragement at this
time, If they ever did. when it is evil
dent to an that they must adopt new
methods and change their system of
forming If they hope to succeed. The.
commissioners freely admitted the
truth Of the committees arguments
and said they believed the govern
ment agent, Mr. l., H. Fash, was do
ing good work. but again they refus-
ed to make the appropriation, though
admitting they had sufficient money
in the contingent fund to meet it.
The Chamber of Commerce could
not afford to pay the agents salary.
and did not feel called upon to do
so as its sphere of work is supposed
TO be confined to the building up OF
the city: so it appealed to the bank
ers to shoulder the burden the coun-
ty commissioners had refused to take
over AS stated at the outset of this
letter. the bankers without hesitation
agreed to do so. In fact they de-
clared they were glad TO do it for
the reason that they considered the
agents work OF great benefit to the
farmers; and as this is an agricultur-
al county, whatever helps the farmer
helps every y-oitizsn-o the county For
ty-two counties in Oklahoma are em-
tploying GoKernment Farm Agentss
| and the said Bryan county could not
afford 10 give up the good work
Just started NJ gaf afne'
rsThe banks of the county are con-
tributing 5000 to pay half of the
agents salary and each bank is conr
tributing in proportion to its eap-
itai stock. its portion. amounting
to one dollar on the thousand. ss
Following -is-a-list of the banks and
the amounts contributes rra9 tl
Caddo, National Bank, Caddo $4,000
security Natl Bank, Caddo. q 25.0O
oklahoma State Bank, Caddoa 1900
First National Bank. Kenefick. $500
Farmers State Bank, Kenefickfl0. 90
Farmers State Bank, Mead. 1000
First National Bank. Colbert $500
First National Bank calera. 25.OO
First National Bank, Bennington h9
| s.s.s $500
Bennington National Bank ~.
Bennington. .... ..2.t $500
First National Bank. Bokchito $500
First State Bank, Bokchito, 1000
IFirst4 Nauophl Bank, Aehille, C25.oo
Farmers and Merchants National
Bank, Achille. .. $500
First Bank Of Kemp, Hendrix. 1000
First National Bank. 'Durant. 10000
Durant Natl. Bank. Durant 10000