Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1922-06-01
Georgia Bankers
Meet In Atlanta
Largest Bankers Meet Ever Held In
South Proves Profitable
(By |. F. Turner(

This meeting was distinctly the lar
gcSt and most profitable bankers meet
ing held i'll the south at any previous
time.
Changed conditions required deep
thought and the discussion of impor-
| tant objects.
The predominating side of the con-
vention was agriculture. Trade, COM
merce and industry received measure
OF attention. but the strongest and the
most worthwhile part of the program
was planned to touch upon prcsent-day
agricultural needs, marketing of agri-
cultural products and financing the
farmer. Many of the bankers present
were actual farmers with large farm
holdings, and therefore, there was the
keenest interest shown. Every one
present found himself either farming
or dependent upon the farm.
Officials of the government inter-
ested in agriculture had their place on
the program, touching upon financial
aid to farmers, to warehousing and
marketing, lending money on farm
lands at low rates, helping i'll holding
cotton and other farm products in ware
houses and otherwise until they could
be ecomically marketed.
n 1t was definitely certain that the
South must reduce cotton acreage and
plant part of their cotton lands in other
crops. 1t was shown that money has
quit flowing by millions out of Geor-
gia for meats, grains, feedstuffs, fruits
and vegetables, but is being spent in
Georgia for Georgia-grown stuffs. 1t
was shown that no more is cotton to
bring low prices as in past years; was
shown also that in Georgia, even I'M
der this years weevil conditions, far
mers have made nearly normal crops
of cotton in a few places where the
proven methods of the W we're used.
Manufacturing cot u toll plan
was strongly advocate ~ of the
speakers. He said Europe was not
| ableto buy our cotton, but had the
machinery and labor to manufacture
| it great deal &c aper than we can in
this country, and would take our cot
ton i'll bales and manufacture it for toll
like our mills grind our corn and that
we would own the manufactured pro-
duct Ill Europe ard sell it along with
| theirs gotten from tolls.
This plan is already working and the
| speaker left the convention for Europe
where ne went to market several hun
dred 'housard dollars worth Of finished
goods from cotton shipped over there
last September.
The Sapiro plan OF marketing cotton
was highly endorsed and it was shown
that the government finance agencies
| favor and recommend the plan and
that they have, in the past year, loaned
millions of dollars for cooperative cot
ton marketing pools and that this has
| helped the farmers to get more for
cotton. They say the plan is a good
I one and is a go.
Our legislature was memoralzed to
pass law at its next session, author
izing county officials to employ county
agents and great stress was laid on
the value and importance Of county
agents.
The bankers of Georgia seem to know
that dairying is coming all over Geor-
gia, because we have the grasses and
climate. Feeling this way about it, the
convention had large banker
and dairymen from Wisconsin on the
programme. Wisconsin is the leading
dairying state in America and is rich.
Forced into dairying several years ago,
when they went broke on poor grain
crops-now rich. This man said pos
itively that Georgia could, in a few
years become the rival or his state and
that Georgia has few advantages ev-
en- over his state. This address was
the chief event of the meeting.
The hog and poultry business was
emphasized and encouragement to
girls and boys in their club work Of
fered. 1t was brought out that the