The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-02-26

scene. most of them from this lower
income So per cent of all farm fami
lies.
Rural Developments announced
purpose when started in 1856 was
to help the latter help themselves
About 14O special rural development
agents, employed under Extension
Service, have been working in pilot
counties. now in 80 states. These
counties are largely in the south, al
though there are rural slums'' in
most states.
Congress appropriated S2.6 millions
for special services and research in
1958-59, and authorized about SIS
millions in special FILA loans for the
pilot counties. But as pilot project
rural development didn't have a head
of it's own in Washington until. re-
cently-running it was among the
many duties of Undersecretary of
Agriculture True d. Morse. Now Ken
meth l.. Bachman heads it.
DEPARTMENT OPTIMISTIC
The department terms the program
an unqualified success "as shown by
the nationwide interest and active
participation of rural people (which)
clearly indicate the soundness of the
new approach to the age-old problem
of chronic underenaployment and low
incomes on many of the nations
farms"
Secretary of Agriculture Ezra BEN
son reported ia late 1859, IAN impress
sive number of new jobs created
totalling 5000 ia So counties, plus
an increase in combining farming
with off-farm jobs.
He outlined the detectives as: TO |
expand industry in underdeveloped |
rural areas; to help families that
want to stay in farming to acquire
the necessary land, skill, and tools;
and to help the people enjoy better
education and vocational opportuni-
ties, and improved health. He listed
such achievements as training All L
Club members to wait on table in
vacation resorts. teaching farmers
better production and marketing
etc.
President Eisenhower has put the
program on more formal and perma-
nent basis by naming a permanent
rural development committee headed /
by Morse and including undersecre-
aries of other federal departments, n
)lus a member from the Small Bust
less Administration, and one from
AGRICULTURAL POINT Nv
he Council of Economic Advisers.
FAR CRY FROM AN
But dissenters, including some in
congress, say that rural development,
It least of this low-pressure type, will
ever come close to meeting the PROB
ems of the underprivileged farm
majority. Certainly it's far cry from
he point w for Americans in agri-
ulture" advocated by such u. S.
enators as Sparkman, Humphrey, +
ymington, and others.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL |
alls the special agents rural kibitz-
rs" since they can't do anything but
ok over the farmers shoulders and
lvise. And it says many of the agents
ave quit, because they can't see
leir work as getting anywhere.
The most biting criticism was
unched by the Agriculture Commit
e of the National Planning Associa-
On, committee that includes repre-
natives of every school of farm
ought.
This committee said in effect that
e program is doomed to failure as
arting wrong, as too little, and as
0 late. although it comedies the sin
rity of its starters.
The committee says that the boot
APPS" concept is far from sufficient,
cause if these counties had local re-
lrces capable of large and rich de-
Iopment. they wouldn't be poor in
, first place; so that any attempt
build their economies up to an
1erican standard of living wholly
developing local resources, is