American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1916-01-20

Every developing community de-
bends largely upon the banker for as
distance, whether Its industries be
'arming, stockgrowing, mining or man
featuring. Bankers should be az lib
,ral as good business methods will
,ermit. but they cannot do impossible
,r unbusiness-like things. Some peo-
lie may MT times think that bankers
ire tight-fisted and lacking In the milk
4 human kindness when In fact they
re only taking reasonable business
precautions to conserve their custo-
ner's deposits. When ! look into the
,ast and review some OF my exper-
'ences with many who were making
heir first start In life or establishing
themselves In homes, ! cannot
escape the conviction that l must have
rad . lot OF confidence In human nat
ire. The American Falls country
where I have been engaged In bank.
lng and farming for the past ten years
van settled mostly by poor people
many having only sufficient means Ia
nay their homestead filing fees. This
,alls to mind one instance where n
Iamily came to American Falls from
Kansas. The husband and fathers In
reduction to me was a request for a
a OF $42.S0 with which 70 finish
paying the freight on his a Of house
lold goods. machinery and a little live
took. lie had a wife and six children
nut no money. ! asked him how on
sarth he expected to live IN a country
Ike this, where there was no work to
NJ had without means to see him
through the winter. lie replied that he
,ad figured that ne had enough TO land
I'm on his homestead, having paid his
'reight In advance, but an error had
,een made In the weight and he was
,~onfronted with the shortage above
.eferred to. He told me he had two
ons Of flour In the car and four par
els OF cured meat. He was three
Years In paying off the note. but l
rave the satisfaction OF knowing that
oday he has a well improved farm
with a good home, and Is doing fairly
we'll.
Another instance was the arrival OF
hree husky German lads, who, after
Hing on three homesteads had about
Sfb left between them. They could
speak little English, hut n~otwithstand-
NIX this and the fact that they were
without means. they were not dis
outraged. They worked for their
ieighbors. many OF whom were praeti-
ally without money themselves but
iad teams and a few farming implc-
nents. ~exchanging labor for the use
u teams and implements on their own
iomesteads and In this way develop
heir own Farms,
Last year these boys harvested about
10000 bushels OF grain aud they are
low considered first class risks.
The problem OF financing such q
community. where In n year NOR
han 200, 900 acres OF land g ~ taker
"a homesteads or state land leases
With a good sprinkling OF people al
most wholly without Means or wh'
would be before their lands were pro
iuctive. Ia no small item. Lumber 10
buildings. seed. Implements and horse
md sometimes even groceries have Z
oe supplied with borrowed money Il
ne earlier years OF u development
,ne Of our four implement houses piac
"a IN order for three cars OF nipple
.nents for its years stocK. 1t shippe
n tan straight cars before the seAso
closed. and was often rorced to pa
local frslght on Lees than . lots.
ss,psy sss demand. s.e ~e leaned I
noosy Tor Tie cash payment ON man
\ tAee ipplemsnts. the dealer takin
: ooatract note tor the balance |
mna himssf safa- The crst of III
"