j Taniiarv 27. 19171 - -:
ED UCATION, COOPERATION, LEGISLATION
ta.cuw-" ' " , f Wl Luuuofl Good Gortmnent
to prooow imp iuiu ri-rumiiuuwBt Men, Measures and Movements Inrotrcd
' "r CLARENCE POE " "'.
A Variety of Commeiit
modified it in ways that make it peculiarly op-
nrffiilvp. A till it h firm a mnfA tlinn- Ve Tf
rtKUE reader wnose. wqury apout mc rurai : Has forced: meri to- seU what. little they hav,
I rteAitk act appears on- this page adds:
X "Maybe I ought to'say that I am a stranger
in this section and I. dott't: know j whether I can
organi2e a national farftl loin association in ihe
neighborhood of hot, but I hop eV I can." So far
as we have noted therethaS been'no attempt to
limit the territory., covered , by a national farm
loan associations and if IhereYis notfpne in your
immediate, neighborhood there in nevertheless
doubtless be one near;, enough to serve -you. And
after on e year's time if no farm 16an association
has been organized near youy some bank or trust
company Will be named to make loans under the
terms of the new rural credits law :
No, we are not going to atop hammering away
at the idea of "remembering the Community in
your will." Because we cannot give $5,000 for a
town library is no,reasonwhy,we should not give
and thus part forever with what many of them
would have saved if they had been, allowed to
get a day of grace. Doubtless a good man
homesteads have been saved to the women
and children by the restriction placed on the
right to mortgage, but, for one.sucb, ten have
been lost for precisely the same reason." ..
-
Graduated Land Tax Idea Growing
IT IS gratifying aflast to find that from one end
of the South to the other men are grappling with
various forms of this tenancy problem.- We no
ticed last week the report of State Land Commis
sioner Robison of Texas and his discussion of the
fact that the percentage of tenancy has increased
from 37 to 56 per cent In- twenty years, adding :
$100 or $500 for a public library at the local school. "Should nothing be done to check this, how soon
no reason why we should not give. $1,000 for a
community hall, a general public meeting " place,
oo nart nf fhfi local school.' Because we cannot
leave enoueh monev to buy Stained fclass windows inS be done" about this matter. He proposes these
lords'?""-' ; ::
But itjs not Mr. Robison's purpose to let "noth-
for the church is no reason why we should not
leave enough to buy . worthy pictures for the
schoolhouse. Because we cannot erect a church
or school building is no reason why we should
not leave money for a school farm, park, or play
ground; or to provide prizes for school children,
'or, prizes to be awarded at an annual community
fair. ' - . , " .
.v. - -''
A country school a few miles from our. office
two notable remedies : f
1. Tax unimproved land at the same rate as im
proved land of the same natural fertility and ad
vantages. "Thus, raw land of the same class by na
ture as is an adjacent farm should be taxed at the
same rate as is the farm land; A barbed-wire fence
which separates them would not then divide their
value for taxation purposes as is now the case."
2. "Place a soecific tax oer acre on land owned
has adopted the plan of haying some prominent by one afovc a certain acreage, and graduated ac-
Uldll 111 U1C kUUUU - UC1HC1 U ill IUC
schoolhouse once a month. It is a -plan many
another school could adopt to good advantage. .
Last Friday night, for example, one of the most
successful and public-spirited men we know gave
the boys of this school a notable talk on "Suc
cess." And nothing helps or Inspires boys more
than contact with men who have succeeded both
in their life-work and as character builders.
-' .
In getting better orchard there is a big field for
cooperation. Farmers-should join together in or-
dering nursery stock, and it goes' without saying,
of course, that there should be united effort in
marketing fruit. Spraying opens up another op
portunity for effecting economies not to" be de
spised. The average farmer needs a spraying out
fit for only a few davs each season, and if his
neighbors are not too far away the spraying outfit
may well be owned cooperatively and spraying
materials ordered in the same way.
Is the Homesceaa Law a Blessing or a
Curse?
I AM thoroughly convinced," one of theniost
thoughtful men we know remarked the other
day, "that the homesiead- lawls one of the ,
greatest enemies the poor man Itr the South has
ever had. Tens- of thousands Of men of Jhdtrstry
who, if it were not for the homestead , law,
could get whatever small amounts" of money they
needed at the legal rate of interest, are now
forced to pay several times as much interest to.
loan sharks or 'time-prices' supply men. They are
forced to do this simply because of the fact that,
the homestead law now makes a genuine riskof
very loan made to a man worth less than" the
homestead exemption." - -
!n Texas an agitation .for Jhe repeal' Of the
homestead exemption is being pressed by many
thoughtful leaders.; The excuse 'given for passing
the homestead law at the time of its.adoption was
that it would discourage '-theC credit system and
make cash businesa, the rule but as the.Dalias
News rightlfdeclares:. . .'. .: . ...
"There is probably not a state in the Union j
where the eredirsystenv is .growing into such -n;aKinstrict0
as it:is in Texas, so4hat unde-r;
nil YiftiUi.-wbefulry-ito'reMtee'
it t l chlef purposes of those who made " :
. ' tAt has nt precluded the growth of a credit
ystem, nor even dwarfed its growth, but has
cording to acreage after the plan of the Federal
income tax law.' In this, regard should be had
whether the land be adapted to ' grazing, stock
farming or purely agricultural when the acreage
limit is fixed." v
-No one who keeps his eyes open can fail to see
how rapidly public Sentiment is moving toward
the graduated land tax idea. At the recent Nat-
ARTICLES EVERY FARMER SHOULD
READ
IN LAST week's Progressive Farmer' Mr.
J. Zi Green began a series of articles,
"Twelve Things Your Local Union Ought to
Do." These articles will appear two a month
during thenext six months, and every farmer
ought to read them. If you are a member of
a Local Union, of course you ought to read
them; and if you are a member of some farm
ers club, not allied with the Union, they will
be equally suggestive and helpful to you. And
if, on the Other hand, you are what Mr Green
calls "a joke', an unorganized farmer ; if you
are not doing any team-work at all with your
fellow-toilers, then is there the greatest need
of ail for you to read Mr. Green's articles, so
you will wake up to the" possibilities of organ
ized effort. And having waked .up, you should
not rest until your neighborhood organizes
and resolves to keepforever organized its
working farmers Here are the subjects Mr.
Green will discuss : i A ?
- 1. The Local Should Educate Its Members Through
Lectures, Debates, wDlBcu8lens, Books and Papers (Jan.
20.) - - ' :
' 3. It Should Promote OoSperatlve Purchase and Use
of Better Farm Machinery. (Feb. S, "Implement and
, Machinery. Special.") . . . ..
- 8. It Should Promote Cooperation in Buying FertlU
izers, Seeds, Feedstuffs and Supplies. (Feb. 24.)
4. The Local Should Discouraga the Credit and
Mortgage System. (March 10.)
j c, it Should Promote Cooper atioft in Grading, Ware
housing and Selling' Cotton, , Corn, Tobacco, Hay and
Cottonseed. (March i4.) j "
6. It Should promote Cooperative Cotton Gins, drain
Mills and Creameries, etc., when Conditions Justify It.
(April T.I n .-
7. tt Should Promote Cooperative Pufchase of Pure
bfed Slfes, and Cooperative Sale of Dairy Products
. (April tl, UAlry and Beef Cattle Special.")
8. It Should Provide for Cooperative Marketing Of
. Poultry, Eggs. Meats, Vegetables, and Fruit. (May E.)
J. It Should Promote Mutual Fire Insurance Com
panies and Cooperative Telephone Companies. (May 19.)
- l(k It Should Promote Better Neighborhood Schools.
, (Jun 2.) Eftcdtfrage epecial Tat, Consolidation, Prac
tleai Studies, to.) ;
1 11. Thd Local Should Promote Oood Fellowship,
'Brotherhood, and the Community Spirit. (June 16.)
. It. The Local Union Should Aid Its Members Jn Sick,
ness or Other Misfortune. ' (June 30.) .
. CW .101
ional Farmers Congress, that bodycomposed of
the wealthiest clasa of farmers, generally speak
ing, adopted the following resolution :
"Resolved, that this -congress views with
alarm the increase in firm tenantry, recom-T
mends that the' several states adopt a grada- .
ated land taxiidapted to their peculiar, condi
tions, in-order xa promote moro and better
. ,"iuvs, ui viiz.ciisuiji uu country uie
' ' '.ingeneraL ':u'.--;- '
Likewise the National Farmers' Union inession
at Palatka, Fia unanimonsly. urged Upolrall state
Unions "that determined efforts be nade to estab
lish a graduated aritem of land taxation i frt ftrQ in or
the lowest rate on the small land holdings" and in
creasing the fate. in proportion to the excess acre
age, "thus making it unprofitable for capitalists to
buy land and hold it. for speculation."
Borrowing From a National Farm Loan
Association
A READER asks : . "i hate bought a farm but
jfhaven't paid for -all of it, and my plan is to
Knrrrtur fVtA nreenrv atfimmt fAm n Mnt!.n1
farm loan association. I have $1,000 now that I can
use either in making a payment on the purchase
price, or in erecting bulldingss Which plan will en
title me to borrow most under the new rural cred-'
its act?"
This good friend, like everybody else interested
in the new rural credits law, should drop a postal
to "Federal Farm Loan Board, Washington, D. C"
and ask for a copy of the "Farm Loan Primer" and
other free literature. Not that we mind answering
inquiries ; we are glad to get them. But this "Farm
Loan Primer!' written as a catechism in the simp
lest cornfield language, makes everything about
the whole rural credits law so much plainer than
we have space to make it. On page 5, for example,
are two statements bearing on our friend's in
quiry: '
"Question: What percentage of the yalue of
the security may be borrowed ? - 7
"Answer; Up to 50 per cent of the value of
the land and 20 per cent of the permanent im
provements "Question: Who passes on the. value of the
security?
"Answer: The local national farm loan asso
ciation has a loan committee of three members,
who must agree unanimously upon the valua
tions. Then after they have made their writ
ten report it must be confirmed by the ap
praiser of the Federal land bank."
It will be seen therefore that, if our friend has
bought land at a fair value, and so recognized by
the appraisers, he can borrow one-half the price of
the land, whereas he can borrow only one fifth of
the insured value of any buildings he puts up.
The Limited LiabiUty0 Feature in the
, V Rural Credits Act '
SOME critics of the new rural credits act have in
sisted that the farmers ought to be able to bor
row 6D per cent Of the value of their land and
50 per cent of the value of buildings. It can easily
be seen, however, that if this were done, the risk of
possible loss on some loans would be greater. With
the limitations now fixed by the Government no
loan ever beiner greater-than one-half a conserva
tive appraisal of the value of the land, and one
fifth the insured value of buifdings, both secured
by first mortgage with these restrictions, we say,
there's about $s much danger of John D. Rocke
feller going broke as there is of any farmer-borrower
suffering material loss on account of the'
limfted-liability feature of a rural credit loan.
1 If everybody else in your national farm loan as
sociation should have every building burned and
every acre washed away, the utmost aniount you
could be called on to pay on their account would be
10 per cent of the amount of your loan little more
than one year's interest. And with the stringent
regulations just" Suggested, we believe, as we re
marked on pago 1 week before last, that there is
not one chance in a thousand of your losing a
penny, on account of this "limited liability" feature.
No thoughtful farmer should let this feature pre
vent him from taking advantage of the law.