Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-04-07
A LETTER FROM A. G. WEST.


very good ideas on subjects in which farmers gen
orally are interesed-and also because it asked
us few pointed questions-we shall discuss it
here. The writer first essays to resurrect the
Fruit Growers Association, in which ceremony
We do not propose to join him, for things that
dead are better left buried but he does raise some
very good points with reference to rural credit
legislation, public markets. enforcement of the
weights and measures law and kindred subjects,
all live questions of the day, which would have
liked to print and would have printed but for the
fact that we doubtless would have been accused of
garbling the letter.
Mr.. West takes issue with the Hollis rural credit
bill now pending in congress and proposes in its
stead that the postal savings banks be empowered
to make loans at three four per cent, and that
law also changed so that the present fve-hundred-
dollar limitation is removed His objection to the
Hollis bill is that he understands it, it proposes
to establish another string of banks. He asks us
what we think about it and we reply frankly that
we are not sufficiently acquainted with the prob
lem to say that those members of congress who
have spent several years investigating and study
ing it are not doing the right thing. Our assump-
ton would be that they know what they are doing
and that they are proposing feasible plan; and
we are compelled to recall how vociferously the
bankers who now talk SO loudly in favor of the
federal reserve law cussed it while it pending
in congress- and to wonder why this usually occurs
IN respect to legislation Of this character He calls
it : bankers law, and hot law that would give
the farmers the relief they wish; he overlooks
what We should imagine is most important, that
the only stockholders in these farm loan banks
besides the government, the only persons who have
anything to do with them, are to be those farmers
who are borrowing money from them. 1t would
seem to be farmers affair solely throughout.
Mr.. West discusses at some length the need and
advisability Of state powder factory as he sees
il, to provide cheap powder for the farmers favors
the powder clubs proposed by Professor H. K.
Benson Of the University of Washington and sug-
gests that the Chamber Of Commerce and Pomona
Grange should urge the establishment Of such
factory Our understanding is that not only the
Pomona but the State Grange have actively urged
the establishment Of state powder factory and
are continuing to do SO; whether the Chamber has
taken any action, we do not know. More than
likely neither Mr.. West nor anyone else has asked
the Chamber to take any action with reference to
the project.
Mr.. West rightly says that real public market
IN Olympia would be big help to the farmers, and
We agree with him absolutely that the present con-
Germs masquerading under that name are not en-
titled to it. We would like to see a real public
markets farmers market-opened in Olympia.
He lays considerable stress upon the weights
and measures inspection and heralds it as of the
greatest Importance to the farmer, far more than
the late-lamented county agent. An inspection
rightly and effectively administered is good
thing-th there is no question about that; how it
helps the farmer any more or, in fact, anywhere
near much the city consumer, We fail to see,
and why as it has been administered in this
county, it should be heralded as being of such
supreme Importance, is far beyond us. We are
rather inclined to think Mr.. West has hit upon a
straw man, principally for argumentative pur-
poses.
Mr. West thinks the Chamber of Commerce
might with better grace take up these three ques-
tons rather than work so hard for a county agent
That is his opinion and it happens to be different
from that of those who favored the county agent
system, who of course think the Chamber of Com
merce did precisely the right thing We think the
Hollis rural credit bill would be rather far
fetched thing for the Chamber to act upon; the
public market and the weights and measures in
spection are local affairs and consequently it
should direct attention to them, as Mr.. West sug-
gests.
The purpOrt of Mr. West s letter is that the
Chamber of Commerce is not devoting it's energies
to activities Of real benefit to the farmers. Again
that is a question in which opinion is involved.