The Washington herald., 1917-11-29
FARM LOAN Plan
MEETS SUCCESS
Holland Says Residents in
Rural Sections Aided
by u. S. Banks.

L
tural publications and the persuasive |
force which led Congress to adopt the |
legislation whereby the United States |
farm bank system, sometimes called
the Federal Farm Loan System"
was made possible, has had oppor-
tunity already to observe the intense
interest which the farmers Of the
United States are taking in the gov
eTnment's plan to enable them 10
finance their farms upon reasonable
terms.
Recently communications have been
received from Alabama which tell OF
the government work now under way
at Muscle Shoals. In New York City
and perhaps in other places of the
East there appears to be as yet little
understanding Of the magnitude of
this undertaking and what II Is to
mean to the American farmers as
well as to transportation systems in
the South. Muscle Shoals lies in Ala
bama Just over the Tennessee line. Mr..
Myrick was informed that at COM
paratively small cost It Is possible to
develop from the water power fur
nished by the rapids there not less
than 10000 and possibly as much as
$4,000 horse power.
That capacity surpasses present-day
utilization OF the Niagara Falls water
power. In addition. however. to this
very great energy obtained from an
inexhaustible resource. for no coal Is
needed, there is also close by not only
needed limestone but also deposits of
phosphate rock. which cannot be ex-
hausted until many years have passed.
no matter how great this product be
utilized. Therefore. at this govern
ment plant. in addition to the nitrates
which are needed for war purposes,
there Is to be produced abundant fer
tilizers rich in nitrogen and phosphor-
Gus.
In all parts of the country which
Mr.. Myrick visited he found the far
mers were greatly relieved by the
prospect OF obtaining at reasonable
price abundant supplies Of fertilizers.
Fertilizers and labor are now and
have been for some time, the vital
need of the farmers. They have land
in plenty.
roo Miles of Navigation.
In addition to this large industrial
plant which the government Is es-
tablishing at Muscle Shoals. the i'm
Trovements in the Tennessee river at
that, place will. when completed, fur
nish uninterrupted navigation OF the
Tenne ssee river one of the longest
stretches Of that kind in the United
States surpassed only by the Mis-
sissippi and the Missouri rivers. 1t
will be of very great Importance to
the industries of the South.
The day is not far distant when
the Mississippi will gain its former
prestige as q very great commerce
bearer. Already IT Is practicable to
lis to New Orleans. And the indica- !
tions are plentiful that commerce |
bearers on this river. some of them !
plying the whole distance, will be in /
use within the course OF two or three |
years. The Riker spillway which Is |
supplementing the levee system is |
now regarded as, In cooperation with
the levees. the best way to insure
the lowlands of the Mississippi against
kfoods and to harness the rivers
bower. This will mean much to st. !
Louis and also to Minneapolis as
we'll as to New Orleans. For our in
dustries OF all kinds are undoubtedly /,
TO be speeded up to their full capac-
iJy after the war is ended and the
Panama Canal, which from one point
of view is a tributary to the Mis-
sissippi. will contribute greatly to
merce with South America, much of
which will be foated down the Mis-
sissippi river.
The Louisiana Way.
Four or five years ago il was OBJ
served by men of finance and business
men in this city that Louisiana was !
creating a remarkable system OF .
reclamation, supplementing that by
establishing a State dock board. With |
her very rich deposits of sulphur. at I
one time deemed inaccessible. but now
mastered by American inventive skill.
and with the reclamation of millions
g: acres of land more fertile even than
that in the Valley of the Nile and
furthermore with the work done BY |
The dock board. Louisiana bids fair to
take a very prominent place in the
list of States that are maintaining
important industries. agricultural and /
commercial. The Louisiana dock
board is believed now to have perfect
cd the best system in America OF pub
licly owned docks for shipping. cotton
warehouses and terminals of concrete
connecting with both rail and water
transportation and in addition to that
gigantic grain elevator.
This is an achievement which tho
late c. P. Huntington had always in
mind when he identified New Orleans
as destined to become one of the
worlds greatest cities James ]. Hill
also took that view. although baslng
1t upon different point Of view from
hat which Mr.. Huntington took.
Everywhere in the South and in the
West the farms, many thousands of
whom subscribed literally to the two
liberty loans, speak with enthusiasm
II the establishment of the national i
'ural credit system. If they can now
PERSUADE the government so to mobi-
ize labor that it will become abundant
y available for the farmers. then there