The Omaha guide., 1938-07-09
See Effort To Curb
Extension Work q.
Among Negroes

4AAOAAS
Washington. June 30 (ANP)
Recent developments Indicate that
Negro county extension ageuts
throughout the nation face demo-
ton or p. curtailment Of their act
ivites, it was learned here last
week. Extension leaders through
out the nation are viewing with
alarm what they consider am at
tempt to discredit Negro leader
ship.
To further complicate matters.
Dr. j. B. Watson, president of.
Arkansas State college, has re-
Gently written a letter to DR.. c.
W. Warburton. of the United States
Department of Agriculture, crit
icing the work in general of dis
street, state and county agents,
among them j. b. Pierce, n OF
the two colored supervisors in the
Is southern states. This letter Is
expected to hasten the change in
status of extension agents, and
a.lready a white man has named
supervisor of Negro extension
work in Arkansas, replacing II. c..
Ray.
T. NJ. Campbell of Tuskegee is
the only Negro district supervisor
besides Pierce In the entire south
ern region. The set-currently calls
NEGRO state md county leaders.
Rut there is amovemcnt. protest
cd by colored gcDnps IT, put Negro
extension work in counties under
the white county agent to The ex-
tent that the Negro ought to be
responsible to the white agent
The extension service was organ
lied to aid the rural and farmpop-
ulation. Agents visit each farm to
glvel advi:e ara monstrations
on the properwa y Bnd latest me-
thods of caring for crops, live
stock, of improving farm homes
and land, preserving food. etc, "a
we'll as giving personal advice
They have organized meetings and
! farm associations enabling agri,-
culturists to cooperate. Through
thert effors, many farmers have
, grown bigger and better crops on
the same land, conserved the soll
by crop rotation, modernized their
| homes and saved money.
In some states Negro agents
work under supervision Of the
states Negro Immigrant college.
Mr.. Campbell introduced an III
noyation at Tuskegee that has
proved of great benefit to Ala,
bama farmers: the movable school
At prearrauged sites, neighbour
ing farmers have gathered for
| demonstrations of canning and
preserving of food, improving
sanitation and appearances oil
homes at low cost, and similar
porblems affecting agricultural
areas This school idea is gradual
" coming into wider use through
out the South and has been high
ly praised by both white and col
ored.
In addition to the belief tina
n change in the extension set-ul
would do away with progressive
work. leaders say also white su'
pervisors in the prejudice-riodeI
South would not be disposed I.
give more than the barest mini
mum of help to colored farmers
and would not ut all be in a pos
ition to understand or work sym
pathetically toward solving tn
peculiar problems of the Negr
rural population
In his letter to DIR. WarburtoT
DIR. Watson declared he had live
all his life in the South excep
for four years when he attende
college in the North, md had owl
ed a farm since 1904, then asker
"Why the district ! extensic
agent? Why the county agent
:. Altogether they have very lit
if any influence over the far
problem and participate in it !
a minimum. Arkansas is in IN
Pierce's district. Mr.. PiGrce spenC
| probably five or sis days in An
anss.s. He knows nothing ahol
Arkansas more than Mr.. Ray tel
him. Altogether during. thexi
months Mr.. Ray has practical
no conAe&GEna 70 inffahcSAit
the farmers of this state. He cal
= net have. His program practical
S handed to him. He has nine
gents, nearly all the money
spent on and by white citizen