The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1916-08-18


Houston, Textile fourteenth an
nual convention of the Farmers Edu-
cational and Cooperative Union of
Texas was brought to a close Thurs
day.
Henry N. Pope of Fort Worth was
reelected president and the other Off
GERS elected are. Herbert Butts.
Hondo, vice president; Charles Smith,
Fort Worth, secretary-treasurer; ]. S.
Airhart, general organizer and lee
turer; ]. w. Gregg, Rusk, conductor;
j. P. Lane, Gallatin, chaplain, and D.
E. Lyday, Ravenna, Mr. Bradford,
Taylor, ]. E, Beene, Burleson, ]. C.
Webb, Seymour. and Artilla StriegIer,
executive committeeman.
Organization, education, co-opera-
ton and action" was the keynote of
President Henry N. Pope's annual ad.
dress, delivered before an executive
session of the union.
The cardinal points of the address
follow:
A state marketing bureau.
Cooperation with the unions of
other states in marketing cotton and
all other farm products.
A financial system that will help
the tenant farmer.
Cooperation with the banking and
other business interests in solving the
business problems of farming.
Securing the cooperation of the gov
eminent through constructive legisla.
ton in the interests of the farmer.
The establishment of a farm bank
to connect with the federal reserve
bank so as to insure money at 6 per
cent interest or less to all farmers on
cotton in storage.
The matter of live stock, especially
stock diseases, received his attention.
"The loss of live stock from disease
on the farms of Texas during the past
year." said President Pope, has been
above the normal. We lost $4,000 head
of horses and mules valued at So
100000; $4,000 head of cattle valued
at $500, 900; 10000 head of sheep
worth $359,OOO, and $4,000 head of
hogs valued at $1,534,OOO, making a
total loss of $4,000 animals valued at
approximately $15,213,OOO.
This makes a heavy drain upon
the farmer and he should write the Ag.
ricultural and Mechanical College, the
sanitary live stock commission and
the federal bureau of animal industry
for bulletins and information on the
health and treatment Of diseases COM
mon among our animals.
1.-THE Texas farmer suffered heavily
in cotton prices during the first year
of the European war and he should
study carefully the worlds needs in
order to recoup his losses, for the
close of the war will usher in a new
era OF prosperity The foreign coun-
tries have drained this country of the
surplus of horses and mules and no
doubt most of them were killed in bat
tie. The Texas farmer, as nearly as
It is possible to estimate, sent $4,000
head Of horses and mules to the armies
OF Europe during the past two years.
To readiust agricultural conditions to
war losses affords remunerative
field to the farmers and can be studied
with profit"
The committee on finance and bank
ing brought before the convention a
resolution reiterating the determine
ton OF the farmers to secure money
from the Texas banks at more favor
able rates OF interest. The resolutions
provide for the establishment OF q
farm bank, or the making of arrange
ments with some bank that win care
for the interests Of the farmer, pro
vided the interior banks. against whieh |
much criticism has been directed, still
refuse to loan money to farmers at 8 |
per cent interest or-better. This res
olutioR was adopted.