The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-18

lI1ctSs that It should operate on terms suited to the farmers needs. and should be under sympathetic manage ment. The need was for machinery which would introduce business meth ods into farm finance, bring order out of chaos, reduce the cost of handling rarm loans, place upon the market mortgages which would be safe in vestment for private funds, attract into agricultural operations fair share of the capital of the Nation, and lead to reduction of intepest. These needs and these ideals have been met bN the enactment of the Federal Farm Loan Act. approved July IT. 1916.
 At the same time the problem of establishing standards on which pro ducers of farm products might trade, or supervising the trading in staple crops and the operations on future exchanges. and of developing better system of warehouses was attacked. The farmers have been in a position singularly different from the produc- CTS of other products. Among the diff ficulties confronting them in the dis trtbution of their products have been the lack of generally known or accept ed standards for staple crops on which to trade. the absence of system for ascertaining commercial differences actually prevailing in the markets, the inadeQuacy of storage facilities, and the difficulty of securing storage cer- ttficates easily available as collateral for loans. These difficulties will be overcome in large measure through the operation of the Federal Farm Loan Act. the Cotton Futures Act, the United States Grain, Standards Act and the United States Warehouse Act Under the Cotton Futures Act, stand ards for cotton have been established, the operations of the futures ex- changes have been supervised, and the sale of cotton has been put on a firmer basis. The United States Grain Standards Act aims to bring about uniformity in the grading of grain, to enable the farmer to obtain fairer prices for his product, and to afford him financial incentive to raise bet ter grades of grain. The United States Warehouse Act will enable the De- pertinent of Agriculture to license bonded warehouses in the various States. It will make possible the is- suance of reliable warehouse receipts
 
 tiable and will promote the standard izing of storages and of marketing processes.
 = Of no less importance for agricul- ture and for the national development is the Federal Aid Road Act. approved July II, 1916.. This measure will con- duce to the establishment of more ef- fective highway machinery in each state. strongly influence the develop ment of good road building along right lines, stimulate larger produc- ton and better marketing, promote a fuller and more attractive rural life, and greatly to the convenience and economic welfare of all the people and strengthen the national foundations.
 This bill meets the requisites of sound legislation and practice. It provides for cooperation between the Federal and State Government and gives the people the advantage of the best thought of the experts of both jurisdictions. It contemplates the ex- penditure within five years from Fed eral and State sources of $16O. 900, 900 in the country at large and of s10,- 900, additional out of the Federal Treasury in the National Forests. It will develop the requisite machinery for safeguarding the expenditure of every dollar already provided by the people of the Nation. It is estimated that at present the equivalent of $225,- 000,000 is being expended for roads and it is also stated that perhaps fifty per cent. of this Is unecomonically ex- pended. It may be confidently pre- ddcted that, as a result of the act vast improvements will be made in the Expenditure of funds for roads and that the Nation wil have more ampe guaranty that it will get its full value in this direction.