The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-11-09
MORE FARMERS
FOR The STATE
DAVIS GALLO LAND SETTLEMENT
MEETING IN HELENA
EARLY In NEW YEAR
Farm Loan Bankers an Men Interest
ed in Agricultural Finance Invited
to Attend; Railroad Men Included.

Convinced that the first step in any
movement to bring more farmers to
Montana is to ascertain what competi-
tive regions are doing and the terms
and conditions they offer, and that
the second step is to make certain
that new settlers secure land where
they have a reasonable chance of sue
ceeding from the point of view of crop
production, terms of payment and
nominated land values, the state de-
partment of agriculture, through
Commissioner Chester c.. Davis, is
making a survey of what has already
been accomplished and is being done
in other state and Canada, with a
view of submitting the information to
a land settlement meeting that will
be held at Helena the third week of
January.
While all persons and firms inter-
ested will be welcome, the deliberat-
tions will be confined to organiza
tions directly interested in any such
movement. The data collected by the
state department of agriculture will
be laid before their representatives
for the formulation of a definite, |
basic policy that will assist in the
resettlement of desirable agricultural
lands now lying idle, and the develop
ment of other desirable lands that
have not been toched
Organizations Invited
Individual Montana bankers and
representatives of the Farm Mortgage
Bankers association, the state Farm
bureau the Farmers union, the Ma
tional Farm Loan association, and
others to whom the matter has been
presented, endorse the idea, and will
be formally represented at the con-
gress. Other organizations that will
be invited to participate in the DELHI
erations are the Montana Stockgrow-
ers' association, the U. S. Reclamation
Service, the Northern Pacific, the
Great Northern, the Chicago, Milwau-
kee and st. Paul and the Union Pacif-
ic railways, the Montana-Develop-
ment association, the State Agricul-
tural college, the state land board and !
the boards of county commissioners, {
the two last named being large hold
ers of farm lands. {
"The state department of agricul-
ture has devoted considerable atten- {
ton to this problem said Commits S
sioner Davis, "even to the extent of l
working out detailed follow-up sys- q
tenn of bringing in and establishing t
settlers, but it has not seemed advisa- t
Die to attempt to put it into operation e
For a year or two past the drift has +
been away from the farms into the q
cities. To overcome this economic d
tendency would require the eXpendi- 4
ture of three dollars in land selling il
and colonization work where one dol p
lar would accomplish the same re- [
suits when the tendency is othe tther t
way. S
Tide Will Turn t
THAT the tide will turn Harvard t
again is inevitable and if Montana is p
TO reap the advantage, it must be pre- s
pared. The railroads are interested
in the settlement of vacant lands in
the district they serve; the farm p
mortgage companies and the counties t.
want to get real farmers on the hold |;
ngs that they have acquired during s.
he depression; the Montana Develop n
ment association wants more farmers 81
and more prosperous one that the b
and industrial interests of h
he state will go forward; the recam- So
alton service wants its idle irrigated vi
ands put in use; the livestock grow te
ers are concerned that areas best
adapted for grazing be kept so, and sc
he farm organizations are interested m
n seeing lands and sub-productive pr
kept out of use under pres OF
mt conditions, for if they are used, &C
he operators will be constantly on til
he verge of bankruptcy to the detri- re
nent of the entire farm industry h;
each of these interests, for one OF
n another reason, is interested in &c
and selling and colonization. Believ- je