The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1924-03-06
commercial Club Reaches
No Conclusion in Ag-
riculturist Question
FARMERS ARE OF
DIVIDED OPINION
Not Many of Them Favor
Tieing up With Ex-
tension Service


lem following for three weeks ap-
..rently leads nowhere. Al least the
.lrb. after discussing the question at
..veral meetings and after correspon-
I.rce with representatives of the U.
q extension service is just about
here It started. At the present
dime there is considerable doubt as
= what will be the next move or If
there will be any move.
Discussion at the regular meeting
n the club Thursday evening and
= farmers meeting at the Val
~ Club house last evening has shown
tlere is q divided opinion both among
elrb members and the farmers. A
Standing vote at last nights meeting
showed q margin of two in favor of
tie agent plan.
Discussion however, has revealed
one thing. Sentiment is not favorable
to suggested plan that the CONNER
eial club cooperate with the u. S. ex-
tension service and secure an agent
under the provisions Of the Smith
Lever law. Farmers as well as con-
siderable club members believe that
much better results can be expected
from an agent who is hired exclus-
ively by the community to devote
As time exclusively to the commun-
isys agricultural problems indepen-
dlnt Of the government regulations
and restrictions.
C. C. Williams chairman Of the ag-
ricultural bureau Of the Commercial
club, presided at last nights meet
Ing. NJ. M. Moulton, who first sug-
gested the agent plan and who was
unable to attend the Commercial
club meeting when the question was
discussed with the farmers, present
ID his ideas. He called attention to
tie fact that the tax levy for the re-
tirement Of the bonded Indebtedness
Of the Columbia Irrigation district
VIII start in 1929 and will increase
each year until the debt has been
paid. If these additional assessments
are met the lands Of the district must
oe made more productive, he said,
It has been demonstrated that the
lands will produce abundantly and
viii produce those crops which can
Be marketed satisfactorily. Some
farmers are now making their farms
produce very profitably while 9TH
ers are not. What is needed, he said,
IS to increase the average produc-
ton throughout the district and he
argues that this can be done if the
right man can be engaged and put
on the job, devoting his entire time
to the problems incident to the pro-
duction of the early crops now pro-
duced and in finding other crops
that can be grown here with equal
success. He is of the opinion that
such man will pay for his salary
and expenses many times over every
year.
some OF the farmers opposed the
pian on the grounds that to increase
PRODUCTION was wasted effort until
sucn a time as better marketing
methods have been perfected. Those
isvorlng the plan, however, argued
mat much can be accomplished by
encouraging the production of those
.aops over which local marketing con-
.loi Is possible, and that the work of
increasing production and perfecting
saarketlng facilities could be carried
forward jointly.
mr. Williams and other club men,
Oers. who have been active in sup
~. p.'isg the agent plan have not as
,s s decided what, if anything fur
: r VIII be done. 1t is probable that
s,;,' ;a,'uestlonaire fully outlining the plan
M De prepared and mailed to each
farmer in the district.