The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-02-19
GOVERNMENT SETTLERS
NEED. FARM LOAN
LEGISLATION
(By |. D. O'Donnell, Supervision of
Irrigation.)

| (By |. D. O'Donnell, Supervision of
lrrigation.)
The general agitation in this coun-
try in favor of farm loan legislation is
based on definite need for cheaper
money for our farmers. The farm
ers who are most in need of cehap
money are the settlers on our Gov
eminent irrigation projects, but are
view of the bills which have been in
troduced in congress disclose the
fact that the settlers on our projects
can receive little, if any, aid through
the proposed legislation.
| have had this matter up by cor
respondence with one of our fore
most legislators, and he has writ
ten to me stating that he has given
the condition of our water users much
consideration and thought in connec-
ton with this proposed legislation,
| but he can see no way in which the
settlers on the government projects
can be materially benefited by the
legislation as proposed. The obstacle
, is that the legislation as proposed
places the loans on basis of first
liens on lands, whereas the water
right charges due the United States
form first lien and thereby put mapy
settlers out of the reach of the benefits
that otherwise might accrue; then
many of our settlers have taken up
lands on homestead basis, and until
they have title to the lands they can
not easily secure loans on them.
| 11r naad U;,ya ekooly
loans more acutely than they need
real-estate loans, but there is no pro-
vision in pending legislation for live
stock loans, and such loans would
be hard to handle in a nationwide
plan. 1t appears, therefore, that our
settlers will have to devise other ways
and means of securing the funds so
much needed. The only way open
seems to be through some plan Of or
ganization and cooperation.
Due to what we may call the the
physical makeup of our agricultural
communities, cooperation in a real
sense is not readily or easily accom-
plished. The almost ideal organiza-
ton and cooperation condition exist
ing in the farming communities in
some European countries are based
primarily on the close relationship and
the intimate knowledge of neighbors
which exist. The farmers in European
countries live together; in America
farmers live apart. The farming class
in European countries is fixed; the
farming class in America is transient.
1t is not practical or safe to start
cooperative credit associations or any
association involving financial risk
where the membership is made up of
transient people or people not wei!
known to each other With this idea
in mind, it appears that the first step
toward cooperative credit is he form
alton of associations Of settlers which
will tend to bind the people together
and unity their aims and ideas.
In countries where cooperation has
reached its highest efficiency the as
sociations are the growth of hundreds |
of years. They started by simple
arrangement between a very few men
whereby they would lend security to
each other. These small associations
grew by taking in friends or relatives |
who were known to be reliable.
1t is practicable for small numbers |
OF our settlers to band together and |
lend security to each other and ad- |
vance their mutual interests to a GER
tain extent. But it is urgent that
some plan be devised where all the
financial help necessary may be Sc
cured
1t is not entirely the work of our
legislators to conceive such plan.
1t may be that some of our farmers
who have felt the need of additional
capital at reasonable rates of interest
have arrived at conclusions which they
think practical. If you have ideas
along this line, talk them over with
your neighborS and local business
men. Thresh them out and pass them
on to your representatives in the hope
that some good to the cause of cheap