Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-13
OPTIMISTIC REPORTS AT
 STATE GRANGE MEETING. Patrons of kusbandry Have Grown
 in the Past Year.

in the Past Year.
 Those from Norwich who were pres- ent at the opening session of the 3oth | annual session of the Connecticut ] State Grange in Waterbury on Tues l day were Worthy Master F.. c. Jewett of the local grange and Mrs Maud E. 1 Bliss and Frank T. Naples, also menl- bers of Norwich grange. MT. Ma pies participated in the entertainment programme carried out.
 Nearly all the subordinate and Po- mona gra2Ses were represented. The convention opened in the fifth degree, soon changing to the fourth The state master. J. Arthur Sherwood, announce ed Q long list of convention commit tees. The reports of inspections of subordinate granges, made by the deputy masters during the past year were all of an optimistic and en- conraging nature. Reports were con- tinueI at the afternoon session, starting with the annual address of the state master.
 State Masters Address.
 In opening his address he spoke of the pleasure it gave those who were then present to note the rapid growth and iminence of the order in this state. He said, in continuing his ad dress
 Our gain in granges and member ship bs gradual but firm. Two new sraEges were added to our list dur ing l914-one at Southbury and one at Shelton. While this may not seem .. large gain, still we must remember that our state is so well covered with grange halls that one is within easy 1 access of nearly every farm home, and the opportunity to organize new i ones is limited.
 No one thing indicates more clearly ! and surely the prosperity and ad- vancement of the order than the many 1 grange halls dedicated to it's use and purpose.
 We hope and trust that the day will come when every subordinate grange | shall be the poSSeSsor of it's own 1 home. Look toward this end, every grange should conserve it's re- sources, exacting at all times full 1 legal fees and dues from it's mem l bers; not simply because it is the law 1 of the order, but because it is good 1 business.
 No session of the National grange 1 in recent years has been more har- 1 monious, done more constructive work, or shown broader, more intelli- | gent or thorough insight of national conditions than that held last No- l venber. It declared in favor of. 1 Government ownership and opera 1 tion of telephone and telegraph lines. l Uniform tax laws in several states, l and that the farmers should have a | fair share of representation on all 1 tax commissions and equalization l boards.
 Mere substantial government aid l to steady interest rates, and uphold | the market for farm mortgage bonds, 1 shall be included in the bill finally 1 passed by congress.
 It declared in strong terms it's op- | position to the plan recommended by 1 the. postmaster general to contract ] the service on each route to the low | est bidder, in place of the fixed salary | for the rural carriers; and called on l every patron to cooperate in i'm | pressing on congress our unalterable | opposition thereto.
 Our efforts in past years to thor | OuGhly impress upon our patrons the | importance: of field meetings are rapidly producing results. The num- | Der and character of meetings held
 this year make it the banner year in our state grange history.
 There is no single power that car do as much for us as the press ot our state. Our daily and weekly pa- 1 Ocrs are the messengers between us
 and the public, and some of them al 1 least are read by the greater part o1
 our citizenship. The papers arc
 more than willing to publish mat
 ters of interest that occur in oul | meetings-s
 i I appeal to the membership l throughout our state to support the
 cooperative enterprises within oul order
 I firmly believe our Agricultura- 1 college is better equipped today for
 it's work than ever before. The in
 creased attendance is the best pos 1 sible proof that it is steadily i1- 1 creasing in the field of. service ana ] influence over the coming generation | We are looking for even more eff
 cient institute work this winter than ] ever before as 1 understand this has | been placed entirely under the con-
 trol of the extension department ot 1 the college.
 There was a large attendance at the public evening session. Mayor Scuily
 formally welcomed the delegates tc | the city and response was made by
 l.. Fl. Healey, past oVerseer of the Ma tICnal grange The principal address
 of the evening was by c. M. Free
 man of Ohio, who spoke on i'the
 grange Q factor in rural development There will be morning, afternoon
 and evening sessions Wednesday.