Arizona republican., 1917-11-24
FARM CONGRESS PRESIDENT NON
 LOCAL BOOSTER

Although George Albert Smith of Salt Lake, president of the Interna- tional Farm congress and the Interna- tional Irrigation congress, pays annual visits to Phoenix, he saw things which surprised him when he attended the last session of the farm congress at Peoria, H., and viewed the Arizona eX- hibit. Still more was he impressed. he asserts, when he arrived in Phoenix recently and after a visit to the out lying districts, saw that a mere exhibit at a farm congress could not truly portray the development of the Salt River valley.
 MT. Smith left last night for eastern Arizona, following a week spent in this district in the interest of a human itarian work which is being undertaken | by the Mormon church. He declares that he has made yearly visits to Ari- zona for many years, but that recently he has been able to see the Salt River valley district literally growing by leaps and bounds.
 "The cotton industry here is posi- lively too great for the person living here to grasp it's significance" says MT. Smith.
 q feel that Arizona should be made aware of the remarkable interest dis played by those who visited the Ari- zoua exhibit at the International Farm congress convention in Peoria last Sep tember,' he said, If for no other req son than the fact that people did not know the potentialities of Arizona be- fore seeing the versatile yields of her fertile valley.
 "Messrs. Andrew KimbaI of Thatch- CT, Ariz., and Harry Welch, secretary | of your chamber of commerce, deserve much credit for the showing made by i your state. l saw MT. Kimball anG | MT. Welch at the show, and I am sure | they must have been gratified by the | interest shown in their display. The ;. booth occupied by. Arizona products was not large, but it contained some | samples of Arizona produce which must have been an eye-opener to the | customer who pictures Arizona as g 1 land of desert waste.
 Represented at the congress were many of the foreign nations of the world. and except for the war 1 an sure there would have been more | Among them were Italy. Russia, Bel s | Hungary China and Canada, so you can see the value of the advertising | obtained from that little booth al | Peoria"
 After visiting eastern Arizona MT Smith will go to San Diego, where al Camp Kearney 1,400 Utah boys are il training. From there he will pay his respects to several Washington anG ] Oregon cities and thence will return tC Utah.
 Plan Humanitarian Work
 Relative to his work heer in connec- tion with the Mormon church, MT Smith said that elaborate plans are now on foot for helping the Indians o1 Arizona to better their condition, | through the introduction of improved farming methods.
 One part of the plan embodies the establishment of experimental farms l where modern methods best adapted tC stimulate their production in this local l ity will be tested, and the Indians in structed in their application.
 The Mormon church already possess es a large tract near Papago. which is not yet leveIled for farm use, bu which will probably be devoted tC these experimental purposes just a! soon as the work is completed, accord Ing 10 MT. smith, who says that tl' | levelling process has already beer started. The plan is to construct build ings on the tracts for scientific ex periments to coordinate the test! made on the farm.
 It is further planned to establish ; similar farm in the Sweetwater dis trict.
 It is one of the established customs of the Mormon church to aid the In dians,'' said Mir Smith, and We believ, that this is one of the best ways to at tain that end. It is gratifying to Set the Indians riding about in automobiles these days when a few years previous they could be seen coming into tow astride little long-haired ponies O burros."