Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-03-05
FOREIGN SPIRIT
OF COOPERATION
IS RECOMMENDED
TOWNS THAT DEPEND SOLELY ON
PROSPERITY OF FARMER CAN
=. NOT PROGRESS.
CHARLES B. AUSTIN URGES THE
ADOPTION OF COMMUNITY CO.
IS OPERATION SPIRIT.

al can see the finish of one or two
towns of the Lower Rio Grande Valley If
they persist in pursuing the plan of take
care Of yourself, and Wen take care Of
ourselves" declared Charles b. Austin,
head Of the public welfare division of the
extension department of the University of
Texas, To an audience AT the Brownsville
Chamber of Commerce last night. Mr..
Austin did not give the names of the towns
to which he referred in speaking of the APP
parent lack of the cooperative spirit shown
by those towns IN their relations with the
farmers Of their surrounding communities.
Tie sand that in his short stay in the Val
ley IL was plain To him that the prosperity
of the towns IN question depended upon the
prosperity of the farmers surrounding
those towns, and that when the farmers
failed, then it followed that the towns suf-
fered as a result. During the course of his
Illustrated lecture Mr.. Austin made ii clear
that only through cooperation between the
farmer and the town-the buyer aud seller
with each feeling a personal interest in
the Others welfare could both prosper all
the time.
The lecturer exhibited some twenty
stereoptican slides dealing principally with
the rural farm credit banks a. they are
operated for the benefit Of the farmers in
Italy and in Germany. These banks, he
said, were not checking institutions but
are conducted principally on the plan of
savings banks. They may he found in
every town and hamlet, with central banks
in the larger cities where the funds of the
smaller banks are deposited when they
grow to mounts too large To be- retained
al home.
A. an example of how these rural com
munities use these funds he said that when
- community of twelve or fifteen farmers
decide they want Il creamery IN the com
munity they do not 81 Ia the capitalists
or hnancIerS 10 negotiate a loan: instead
they repair To their community bank. oh
tam the necessary amount a. a loan, and
in time this money i returned 10 the bank.
and IT. deposits are soon increased by rca-
ION Of the profits derived from the
creamery.
Other slides showed the intense methods
al cultivation used by the German and
Italian farmers, forced by the density Of
population and the resultant high prices of
land. Hills were shown where trees had
been planted to replace forests that had
been gone over. This j. principally on the
hi!ltopS on land not canablc of producing
farm crops. even the mountain tops above
the snow line being planted to evergreens.
principally pine trees.
One slide Of particular interest to resi-
dents of the Lower Rio Grandc Valley wao
that showing how the banks Of irrigation
bitches are beautified BY the planting Of
grass and trees. a result, he declared. com
paratively easy Of accomplishment
throughout this section with the injection
Of the necessary amount of civic pride. In
this connection Mr.. Austin SAYS that later
hi> department will I k up the question of
>ewase disposal in this section. and the
u-r Of septic tanks. Such water i, used
in the irrigation bitches Of Italy. being Of
untold value in building up the fertility Of
the soil.
In the matter of civic pride Mr.. Austin
sand that in travelling ON the international
x Great Northern railroad, the st. Louis.
brownsville 4 Mexico, and the Valley line
w. had found only one town with what he
termed IAN introduction" This town was
Mercedes. where perhaps the most beau-
tiiul park in South Texas i the first thing
that strikes the eve Of the traveller alicht-
ing q the station. or the traveller passing
through. The lecturer predicted that the
time i roming when the Valley towns will
."' ~ their "~hacks" back from the rail
rod and that the traveller instead IT see
ins only the worst Of 4 town will have an
olmortunity to he introduced" 10 the town
h. i visiting by NEE homes. with well kept
lawns and other features giving evidence
al I'VE pride.
Though the audience was small. number
II" perhaps thirty persons. II was a highly
Interested one that heard Mr.. Austin's lee
ture
NJ .tuStin goes "a San Benito today.
and Saturday evening he j. Ia lecture 10 q
I meetire Of farmers and members of the
Unit Marketing System.
A philalalnhia vomon H. tho natanfaa &c