The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1940-04-11
Ashe Is Selected
In Demonstration
Group By FSA
Extensive Improvements Are
Planned for Counties In
This Group.
ONLY 5 IN N. C..

w. Bryan Oliver, County RR
Supervisor, announced this week,
here that Ashe County had been
selected as one of the five coun-
ties in North Carolina in which
Appalachian Project or Pre-Stan-
dard loans would be made.
The United States Department
of Agriculture has asked the
Farm Security ADMINISTRATION to
designate five standard coun-
ties in each of the five states in
Region w, which is comprised
of North Carolina, Tenn, Vir-
ginia, West Virginia and Ken
lucky. The five counties designa-
ted in North Carolina are Ashe,
Avery, Mitchell, Pennsylvania
and Swain. In the counties desig-
mated for this work a special
area is selected. in which extern
sive work may be done .. with
about 100 families in, effort to
help solve the problems of low
income farmers. in the Appala-
chan Region. The FSA commit
tee in Ashe County has selected
the area centering around Crum-
pier, in Walnut Hill Township
and also a small corner in
Chestnut Hill, Grassy Creek and
Helton township for this project.
1t is planned to make extern
sive improvement on the farms
through the assistance of the
Farm, Security Administration.
Loans are being made to the
farmers in that section for as
much as they can reasonably re-
pay over a period of five years.
The remainder of the improve
ments are provided with funds
granted for the Relief Appropria-
ton. The program is under the d.
rection of w. Bryan Oliver,
County RR Supervisor, and the
planning is in charge of Thomas
H. Sears, Associate RR Super
visor, and Lenna F. Gambill,
County HIM Supervisor.
In addition to improvement on
the land the Farm Security Ad-
ministration is also planning a
sanitary program in that area.
Families will be assisted by a
loan and grant to provide sani-
tary water supply, screens and a
sanitary privy. This part of the
program will be carried on with
the cooperation of the State
Board of Health and through the
assistance of Harry S. Webster,
District Sanitarian, who serves
Ashe County.
This project will concentrate
upon soil erosion, pasture i'm
provement, and general farm re-
organization in this area. Each
family must produce all possible
food and feed and must agree to
work on their farms in return
for the assistance planned. This
work is of an experimental ma
ture, and the results obtained
will be used in determining fu-
ture programs of the United
States Department of Agriculture
in the Appalachian area. "1n ad-
dition to this special work FSA
will serve Ashe and Allegheny
Counties outside this project
areas as heretofore" Mr.. Oliver
stated.
In connection with the farm
agents office, it was pointed out
that this department costs the
county $3.50 and brings into the
county more than $4,000 annual
ly.
The value of the health depart
ment, which only costs the aver
age taxpayer of the county %
cents, was stressed.
Savings resulting from the bond
refunding program were also ex-
planned.
Ins conclusion the commission
ers stated, eve. believe that the
people of the county are recelv'
ing more public benefits thar
they have ever received in the
history of the county" and tina
they are getting more for thei1
money than in the past.
A financial statement of tn
county will be published soon,
was stated.