The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1948-01-01

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said, that the soil conservation
program has met with favor
able acceptance to a remark
able degree, not only by farm
erS and rancherS, but by bust
ness and professional groups
and the public generally as well.
Such opposition, as was ex-
pressed at first, seems to have
originated from lack of infor-
nation or understanding, be-
cause it no longer is heard.
This growing favorable aecep-
lance by the peonle generally
results from the realization that
the program is established on
sound principles, such as:
1. Assistance by the federal
government is limited to the
necessary minimum in the fur
nishing of technical help;
2. Soil conservation districts
are non-political; are governed
and controlled in a democratic
way by local men, elected by
their neighbors-
8. District services are avail
able to all lands within their
boundaries;
4. The program of work for
the district originates with the
local board of supervisors, and
is carried out on each farm on
a voluntary basis and only upon
request of the individual farm
er;
5. Supervisors manage soil
district affairs without financial
benefit or gain.
6. A soil conservation district
is not responsible to any feder-
al agency, but is responsible
only to it's own local members.
7. The prime responsibility of
this fundamental and necessary
program is in the hands of the
local people.
8. Every farmer and rancher
is given the opportunity to
share in this important work.
1t appears from the above
that the Soil Conservation pro-
gram is essentially voluntary in
character and opsuated from
the ground up. This, of course,
is always the best type of Or
ganization if the desired results
can be obtained in this man
nsr. 1t also appears, that the
districts have accepted the re-
sponsibility of soil conservation
on the privately owned lands in
the United States, for in the
short span of years in which it
has been in operation, much
has already been accomplished
and a substantial start has been
made towards the ultimate goal.
In Montana the Soil Conser-
walton program has had a
steady, healthy growth. The
state Soil Conservation commit
tee, whose function is to assist
in the organization of new dis
trictS, has never made any eff
fort to speed up this organiza-
ton work by pressure or propa-
ganda methods. 1t has preferred
to let the program grow and
expand on it's own merits, be-
lieving that In this manner We
would have more active districts,
based Soundly on local interests,
and that actual progress would
be greater in this way. It can
be said that with one or two
exceptions, all of the 40 soil
conservation districts now Or
ganized in the state, have from
their start and are now carly
ing on active programs of work
up to the full limit of their op-
portunitieS to do so, and in
most cases, the technical men
furnished by the Soil Conserva-
ton Service to the districts can
not keep up with the local de-
mand for their services.
The 40 districts in Montana
include a total of 43, 1000, O0C
acres. This represents almos,
half of the land area of the
state, and includes more than
half of Montana's farm and