Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-03-07
Better Farming, Thrift and New Constitution Dis
 cussed at Meeting.
FORDYCE FINANCIER
 CHAIRMAN GROUP 7
J. \. Abernathy Heads Division, With Liuyd Burns of Dumas Vice Chair man and w. E. Wall of Stuttgart
 Secretary-Treasurer.

Better farming, thrift and the con- stitutional convention were the prin- cipal and most important subjects discussed yesterday at the annual meeting of Group ', of the Arkansas Bankers association, which was held in the assembly hall of the chamber of commerce, and which was attend ed by something like 100 bankers of this section of the state. and from Memphis, St. Louis and New York.
 Incidentally, the banking business came in for little discussion, but al most as rule the bankers dis cussed their business only as means of aiding in bringing about better and more prosperous conditions general ly, apparently being of the belief that if the country is prosperous. the banks will prosper.
 J. A. Abernathy, who has been sec retary-treasurer of the group the past year was elected chairman for the ensuing year. MT. Abernathy is one of the officers of the First National 1 bank at Fordyce, and one of the most popular members of Group 7. Ac- cording to the custom, it is expected l the 1918 meeting of the croup will be held at Fordyce.
 Lloyd Burns Of Dumas was elected l vice chairman, and w. B. wall of l Stuttgart was elected secretary-treas- elected member of the nominating committee of the Arkansas Bankers association, and the following were elected members of the legislative committee from the group: A. D. Foster, Albert Powell. L. A. Blocker, R. L. Hyatt and Lloyd Tidwell. Program Is Instructive. The program of addresses prepared for the meeting was exceptionally in | structive and interestin. Three of the talks were what might be termed technical, in that they referred in great degree to some features of the banking business, being of great in- teset to bankers but O. little direct interest to laymen. These were Banking Cooperation in Small Towns," by R. F. McNally, vice president of the Mississippi Valley Trust company. of St. Louis "Coun- ty Financing" by w. D. Lemon, presi- dent Of the Peoples Savings bank of Little Rock; and the Cost of Loan able Funds.'' by E. c. Stuart, vice president of the Tihrd National bank of St Louis.
 w. L. Hemingway, president of the Mercantile Trust company of Little Rock, in talk on "The Proposition of Legislation" brought out some points of more than ordinary inter- est. and Moorehead Wright, president of the Union Trust company of Little Rock, in his remarks on "The As sociation and Better Education urged that the bankers do their part toward bringing about greater demand for higher standard of edu- cation in the state, especially in the rural communities.
 "The Nationwide Thrift Campaign in Arkansas" was the subject of a most interesting and enlivening talk by Robert B. Wait, president of the Citizens Investment & Security com pany of Little Rock, and who has been in charge of the thrift campaigr in this state the past three or four months. MT. Wait informed the meet ing that he had made an address or | FlufllI dC luc 1lAC DluAl I1A6A school yesterday morning, to an audi ence of boys and girls who indicated the greatest interest, and he urged that the individual bankers through out the state use every effort to pusl the movement
 MT. Wait called attention to thu "Thrift" cartoons hanging around thu meeting hall, which he said had beer loaned to him and the meeting by thu Pine Bluff Young Mems Christian as
 sociation, which was conducting strong and valuable campaign fo
 thrift, in addition to its other uplif
 work. He made valuable suggestion
 to the bankers, of ways in whicl each could aid individually in for warding the campaign to its ultimat
 success.
 C. H. Thomas, one of Jefferson county's two farm demonstration
 agents, in his talk on Better Farm
 ing," gave the bankers some hints a to how they could improve the con dition of the farmer, by getting il closer touch with him, fraternizin !. with him in the right spirit, and giv ing him the benefit of their advice
 MT. Thomas said most of the thing
 the small farmers need cost little, bu
 help a lot, and by aiding the farmer 1 to get these things, the bankers vii n be helping in the progress of tn z, whole community.
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