South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-03-07
OUTLINES PLAN
FOR ORGANIZING
RURAL CENTERS
Yearbook of Agriculture De-
partment Details Methods
and Results of Organizing
Communities For Patriotism.

article which is 10 appear in the forth |
coming year book of the department !
of agriculture. and which has already I
been printed as q pamphlet Tor the use
of the departments Office of markets
and rural organization.
The scheme calls for 10 committees, |
five of which are To deal with bust |
ness needs and five with social needs |
Every member of the organization is
TO serve on some one of these COM
mittees. In addition, there is 10 be
a central or executive committee COM
posed Of the president Of the organ
ization. it's secretary. its treasurer and
the chairman Of the 10 other COM
mittees. This central body is TO di-
rect the general policy of the organ
izatiOn. raise all funds and control
their expenditures. The committees
that are to deal with the business in
terests of the community are as fol-
lows:
Committee on farm production.
Committee on marketing.
Committee on securing farm sup
plies.
Committee on farm finance and ac-
counting.
Committee on communication and
transportation.
Similarly, the five committees that
attend TO the communitys social in
terests will deal with:
Education.
Sanitation.
Recreation.
BeautifiCation.
Household economies.
Work OF Committees.
The work of most of these com
mittees is indicated sufficiently clear
~ by their titles; for example, the
committee on production can do much
good by improving the breeds of live
stock in community through CO.
operative purchases of pure-bred
/ a.
ton of corn, poultry. pig, cattle, can
ming and gardening clubs which have
already demonstrated their value in
the sections where they have been
establishcd and it can carry on use
ful studies of the type of agriculture
best fitted 10 local conditions.
In the same way, the committee on
marketing can secure the standaTdiZa-
tion OF the communitys products and
thus obtain better prices than are
possible when nondescript goods are
dumped upon the market. The COM
mittee can also search out the best
markets make contracts on large
scale which will be more favorable
than any individual can secure for
himself. and in many other wayT
economic in the selling of the COM
munityS goods. Even if cooperative
marketing is not actually resOrted TO,
the Information which the committee
collects can hardly fail to be of great
assistance TO the individual shippers.
Just as the committee on market
ing can facilitate selling, the COM
mittee on farm supplies can econ
OmiZe in buying. Farmers are warn
ed however, not 10 underestimate the
cost of running a store or commercial
agency. I'D not TO OvereStimate the
saving which this can effect. The CO.
operative society, of course, does away
with the necessity of the stores max
ing n profit but somebody must man
he 81 a a a. nd ID 81
he paid for his time. His salary, there
fore, corresponds in a way To the
ordinary stores profit, and it is not
always possible 20 secure a good man
y for less than he would be able to
make in business for himself. There
are. however, several methods of pur-
chasing farm supplies comparatively,
which viii be found 10 be of advan-
tage. The simplest is the joint order
i'm which a group of farmers can buy
given article i'm large quantities,
thereby effecting a considerable say
ing I'm the expense of handling. com.
missions etc. sometimes when this
method is adopted warehouse is
added which is owned or rented CO.
operatiVely, and i'm which the goods
are stored until the associated pur-
Chasers need them
May Conduct store
II these two methods have been
tried and found successful. it may be
logical development and conduct CO.
operative store which renders the
same service 90 it's customers that a
private enterprise would. This. how
ever. inevitably leads 10 complications
and should only be undertaken after
some experience with simpler methods
of cooperation
with the committee ON farm finance
and accounting. the first duty is 10 as
certain what farm enterprises can
sihle when accurate accounts are
kept and carefully analyZed After
this has been done the next step is
TO secure the most favorable terms foI
financing proper and sound enter
priSes This is frequently not difficult
Il the committee has thorouchlv mas
tered the subject and is able On PVT
i clearly before local bankers Where
the local bankers are unwilling 90 IT.
nance genuinely productive enterprises
at reasonable rate OF interest the
committee must consider other ways
OF securing capital. one OF the simp-
lest plans for accomplishing this Is q
credit union or cooperative credit as.
sociatiou Tho essential features oi
this plan are that a group or farm
crS organize themselves 90 receive de-
posts and make loans. BY keeping
he expenses down 90 minimum. II
. mas been possible FRS some cases fol
such associations Co pav interest or
deposits that IS within one per cent
OF me interest ~ charges ON loans
Inc committee on communication
and transportation should deal pri
marilv with the roads end telephones
The keynote ~ thr WORT. should hl
organized sclf-h"iu not appeals g.
get government h"'r
just as thr r.. business commit.
toes ere 90 rv'e vttr fr- rrUfa.
mental problem ~ producing and
selling IN their various forms. the five