Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-04

ISOLATION held their one day conven..
ton Saturday in the Palm room of
Hotel Rainbow, with q program that
covered the range of Montana indus
tries.
J.. L.. S%teinbarger, cashier of the
First National bank of Lewistown and
former vice president Of the group,
was elected president, this and all otner
elections Of officers being by unanimous
ballot for the candidates named by the
nominating committee. O1her otficers
the Pondera Valley State bank of Con-
rad, vice president; n. B. Mathews.
president Of the Basin State bank OF
Stanford. reelected secretary; Shirley
s. Ford, vice president Of the Great
Falls National bank. member of the
executive council; n. j. Gould, wee
president of the American National
bank of Helena, member of the e1-
ecutive committee.
To RehabIIitate Agriculture
Resolutions passed by the convention
favored changes in the banking laws TO
facilitate the levying of stock assess
mcnts and in stock transfers. Cooper
alton of creditors with farmers OF the
state to aid in rehabilitating agriculture
was urged in resolutions passed. Leg
islation urged by l.. q. Shelton, state
superintendent Of banks, was approved
by the convention and a motion passed
urging the former president. n. j.
Gould of Helena. to bring the question
before the sessions of the state associ-
alton at Missoula with the request that
they be acted upon as a state problem.
Despite the lure of the Meadow Lark
Country club links. the convention pro-
gram held almost 100 per cent attend
ance through the afternoon, several
hurrying to the course as soon as the
convention closed in the middle of the
afternoon. The speakers of the after
noon program were Dorsey Hager. pc
troleum engineer and geologist.. speak
ing on the oil industry; l.. Q. Shelton.
superintendent of banks. on legislation.
and John Quickenden of Lewistown, on
farm problems.
Eleven Counties Represented
The convention drew representation
from virtually every bank in the dis
trict, covering II counties OF northern
and central Montana. Representatives
of several of the banking houses of the
east and middle west. having connec-
tons with Montana banks, were pres
ent at the sessions.
n. ]. Gould. president of Group D.
presided at the meetings until the cleo
ton Of the new officers, who took
office at the last of the afternoon
session.
Speaking on Farm Problems John
Q~uickenden of Lewistown told of the
help asked of bankers by the farmers.
"Your business and mine are so
closely related that the welfare of one
is the success of the other" he said.
"In normal times there is nc room or
reason for envy, jealousy or suspicion
between us. In times like these, the
fellow who stirs up those feelings is
monkeying with dynamite. Rather than
arouse those feelings we better keep our
arms around each other and cuddle up
close or we 60 into the ditch.
The School Situation
I'VE are today facing a rural school
situation that deserves the best thought
give it. We have had, during normal
times. about 1000 girls and boys, our
prospective farmers, out of school be-
cause there has not been a school near
enough for them to attend. We have
always had a large percentage with
far too short terms. But today, due
to conditions with which you are all
familiar, the funds of many more dis
tricts are exhausted and they face
closed schools.
Fathers and mothers Of these chill
dren will not stay long in a community
where the advantages Of schooling are
denied their children. We cannot af-
ford to let them if they would. To
Montana. / say it cannot be done with
closed schools. Some of the trouble.
/ admit. is due to unpaid taxes, but
neither do abandoned homes and farms
produce revenue. Some way must be
found to keep these boys and girls in
school.
we are all agreed that taxes must
be controlled and reduced if possible.
But we cannot afford to be foolish
here. Let us study the school system,
and demand, if we are not already get
ting, the strictest economy consistent
with efficiency.
S2,o0 900 Loss
II will point to a direct loss Of one
fourth of our school money. Twenty
five per cent. or more, of the children
of Montana are out of school, while
school and the expense goes merrily
on. This entails a loss of more than
s., 1000. Let's give them a chance
and then see that they go TO school.
Another loss through inefficient super
NlSlOu may otCuI at any liIt he
only requirement of our rural school
supervision. our county superintendent
is ability to get the votes. 1t is no
requirement enough. Let us insist
with emphasis that our legislature cor
rect this situation.
I'VE have the additional problem of
our own education. Often we are iso-
lated by miles of weary roads. We are
denied the frequent meetings with keen
business men that sharpen the wits
and broadens the view. With little
time. and less inclination to study our
problem. we rely too much, perhaps,
on a superficial reading Of a few farm
papers, or listen too long, or too often
to the jangle of some new Moses,
whose attempt to lead us out of the
mire. some times leads us deeper in.
Do not misunderstood me, ! am not
condemning farm papers or men who
speak and work in u behalf. Many
OF these papers are ably edited and
compare well with trade papers and
bankers magazines, but we get over
fed on the stuff that irritates our
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