The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-01-28
ADDRESS OF ID. w. DAVIS Be
FORE IDAHO SWINE GROWERS
ASSOCIATION AT BOISE, IDAHO


ASSOCIATION AT BOISE, IDAHO
Every developing community de-
ponds largely upon the banker for
assistance, whether its industries be
farming, stockgrowing, mining = OF
manufacturing. Bankers should be
as liberal as good business methods
will permit, but they can not do i'm
possible nor unbusinesslike things.
Some people may at times think that
bankers are tight listed and lacking
In the milk of human kindness when
in fact they are only taking reason
able business precautions to conserve
their customers deposits. When l
look into the past and review some
Of my experiences with many who
were making their first start in life,
or establishing themselves on new
homes, can not escape the conyic-
tion that must have had q lot Of
confidence in human nature. The
American Falls country, where I
have been engaged in banking and
farming for the past ten years, was
settled mostly by poor people, many
having only sufficient means to pay
their homestead filing fees. This
calls to mind one instance where a
family came to American Falls from
Kansas. The husband and fathers
Introduction to me was request for
q loan Of $42.S0 with which to finish
paying the freight on his car Of
household goods, machinery and
little livestock. He had q wife and
six children, but no money. I asked
him how on earth he expected to live
in country like. this where there
was no work to be had, without
means to see him thru the winter.
He replied that he had figured on
having enough to land him on his
homestead, having paid his freight
In advance, but an error had been
made in the rate and he was con-
fronted by the shortage above refer
red to. He told me he had two tons
OF -four in the car and four barrels
of cured meat. He was three years
in paying off the note, but I have
the satisfaction Of knowing that to-
day he has well improved farm
with a good home and is doing fairly
we'll.
Another instance was the arrival
of three husky German lads, who,
after fling on three homesteads, had
about SIS left between them. They
could speak little English, but not
withstanding this and the fact that
they were without means, they were
not discouraged. They worked for
their neighbors, many Of whom were
practically without money themselves
but had teams and a few farming
exchanging labor for
the use of teams and implement on
their own homesteads, and in this
way developed their own farms. Last
year these boys harvested about 2O,-
600 bushels of grain and they are
now considered first class risks.
The problem of financing such
community, where in one year more
than 100000 acres of land were
taken as homesteads or state leases,
with a good sprinkling of people al
most wholly without means, or who
would be before their lands were
productive, is no small item. Lum-
Der for buildings, seed, implements,
horses and sometimes even groceries
have to be supplied with borrowed
money. In the earlier years Of our
development one of our four, imple-
ment houses placed an order for
three cars Of implements for it's
years stock. 1t shipped in ten
straight cars before the season clos
ed, and was often forced to pay local
freight on less than car lots, to sup
ply the demand, and we loaned the
money for the cash payment on many
Of these implements, the dealer TAX
ing a contract note for the balance
to make himself, safe. The first Of
last June we had 157 automobiles
in the county and 100 combined har-
vesters. This did not include the