The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-26
BANKERS PLEASED WITH WEEKS WORK FOR THE FARMERS State Association Is Deter mined to Carry Mrs.
 Mathis Message to
 All of Them

The members of the Alabama Bankers
 association have their fingers on the pulse
 of the great agricultural interests of the
 state, as was evidenced by the recent
 group meetings when that phase of Ala
 bama banking interests was discussed
 more than any other.
 They are beginning to reap the benefits
 of their realization of Alabama's great
 possibilities, for the report of Mrs. G. H.
 Mathis, their field agent, showed a marked
 decrease in imports and a marked ten
 dency toward self support on the part
 of the average Alabama farmer.
 According to Secretary McLane Titon in an article in the Fell City Progress,
 the attendance was far greater than an- ticipated, and the degree of interest man. ifested was most gratifying.
 "The flying squadron of the Alabama
 Bankers association has returned safely
 to anchor after a weeks cruise among the banker-farmers of the state, writes MT. Triton. 'The party was composed of 1 James Keith of Anniston, president; Me
 Lane Triton, Pell City, secretary; Mrs. G. ] H.. Mathis, field agent, and Enmet A.
 Jones, chief of the markets bureau. Hon. A. E. Walker, superintendent of banks, I attended two of the meetings and deliv- cred most interesting address on Rural Credits James Pike, cashier of the fed eral reserve bank, spoke at Birmingham, and W. B. Welborn, federal reserve agent, was at Montgomery.
 Meetings were held in the four groups of the association beginning at Sheffield on Monday, Birmingham on Tuesday. Montg on Wednesday and Mobile on Thursday. The attendance was far larger than anticipated, the combined total be- ing greater than has ever reported at an ! annual convention. The degree of interest manifested was most gratifying. It has 1 at last come to be realized that the bank | CTS have a very serious and important purpose in view with the ability and de- termination to carry 1t through to a suc- cessful conclusion
 I "As an evidence of this fact E. w. Bar rett of the Birmingham Age Herald made the entire trip with the official party, as did Miss Beall of The Weekly Age-Herald. Reports of work done were requested by a number of papers outside the state, one taking 1000 words by telegraph. The secre- tary now has file many invitations from banking and business organizations | for Mrs. Mathis to address them. She has already appeared at New York, Chicago. | St. Louis and Topeka, and will be kept busy during the months of May and June widening her influence by telling the story of Alabama's possibilities at these con- lventions.
 l One of the difficulties the association has faced the past year was the lack of
 publicity given to it's efforts. The deep impression made by Mrs. Mathis at Chi 1 cago attracted national attention and there are few papers and periodicals that l have rafQrrpd a length fn work and the power of her personality | upon the people she is seeking to reach l MT. Barrett was the first to appreciate | the good that would follow If her messa ge was carried directly to the homes of Ala bama farmers. It is his purpose to make The Weekly Age-Herald the medium for this purpose. His plans will be announced I within short time and should be eagerly adopted by Alabama bankers and business l men. This will care for home folks 1 "Emmet A. Jones of the immigration and markets bureau is hard at work on his Alabama Land Book. The idea itself was clever. and is being pushed with all l of MT. Jones energy and enthusiasm The l intention is to distribute in the west 1J0 OO( copies of this book that will tell the true story of this state backed by the official | seal of the governor. Arrangements have l been perfected to follow up the campaign and it is expected that next summer Mrs | Mathis will head an expedition to the west, taking in the state and county fairs ! live stock exhibits and farmer chatau- quas.
 | The object of the association commit
 tee on agriculture is simple one, first to double and then to treble the income of
 every farmer in the state The application
 of intelligent and practical methods has l already produced this result in a large | number of individual cases. The campaign l m ha t1crbf ,o1tt cfD,, ~ l this record is the rule and not the ex-