THE PRESS, ATHENA, OREGON, SEPTEMBER 6, 1929
THE BANK'S PART IN
THE FARM PROBLEM
t
H. Lane Young
By H. LANE YOUNG
Member American Bankera Aesocla
- tlon Agricultural Commission
ONE of the most discussed and least
understood questions regarding
the farmer's problems is the part the
bank bas played,
or is to play, 1n
financing the
farmer. The basis
of co-operation
between the two,
however, is a very
simple one.
Both sides are
subject to criti
cism for the con
dition that exists
today. The major
share of the blame
rests on those
banks that have
failed through disregarding funda
mental principles in loaning other
people's money, that have encouraged
the farmer to expect bank loans with
out first putting his business on the
earning basis which "would Justify a
bank to lend him money.
One of the underlying reasons for
the failure of so many country banks
bas been the existence of too many
banks. .With the limited business of
the commmunlty divided among too
many banks It was Impossible for them
to make enough money to Justify the
employment of officers with the proper
ability to manage the bank success
fully. Then the scramble for business
was so hard that good Judgment and
foresight were forgotten in granting
loans, with the resultant failure of
the weaker institutions.
In the future, banks are not going
to loan the money of their depositors
without the kind of security that can
be immediately realized upon in case
the loan is not paid, or unless the ap
plicant presents a sound and success
ful record of business operation
whether that business be manufactur
ing, merchandising, or farming. .
Farming-Banking Interdependent
This Is a perfectly obvious attitude,
because country banking cannot be
successfully and profitably carried on
unless farming is successfully and
profitably operated the two busi
nesses are dependent upon each other.
There is no longer any question that
the time has arrived for these inter
dependent businesses to reach a com
mon ground of understanding of the
requirements that both must meet for
their mutual welfare.
There is no doubt but what the fu
ture prosperity of the farmer and the
basis of cooperation between banker
and farmer is the intelligent diversi
fication of crops. It is necessary, how
ever, to have the right conception of
diversification.
The mistake that many farmers
have made In attempting to diversify
has been to Invest too much money,
time and land in a new and untried
crop Bometlmes a hazardous crop, or
one for which no immediate market
has been developed, resulting in a loss
of the initial effort and discourage
ment of future efforts on a more con
servative basis.
Disregarding the primary and essen
tial principle of farming namely, in
creasing earnings by decreasing the
cost of production through the prac
tice of building up soil by crop rota
tion and Intensive cultivation, is re
sponsible for a largo share of the
farmers' trouble today.
As An Agriculturalist
Sees Farm Board's Job
The new Agricultural Marketing Act
approaches farm relief from a materi
ally different point of view from that
of former bills before Congress in re
cent years, says Dean II. L. Russell of
Wisconsin University College of Agri
culture In the American Bankers As
sociation Journal.
"It contains a new idea, fraught with
the greatest possibilities the organi
zation of a Federal Farm Hoard," he
nays. "It has been possible for farm
cooperatives to borrow from Federal,
aided institutions before, and at a ma
terially lower rate than city business
men bad to pay for working capital,
but this is the first sot-up made by
the government in which a commis
sion has been carefully chosen to give
undivided attention to an effort to
solve the problems of a farm group.
"It is hard to conceive of a higher
degree of responsibility than must be
assumed by this commission. No board
over created by congressional action
has been clothed with as wide plenary
powers. It is authorized not only to
advise but to execute, to plan and put
its plans into etfoctive action, to buy
and hold, to dump, to dip into the
Federal treasury to accomplish its
ends with what would be almost un
limited resources to any private com
mercial concern. The board's only
Job is to succeed, and no govern
mental agency- even during the war
time emergency had a wider latitude.
"Many will think the farm relief
program will be universally applicable
to the individual land owner or oper
nlor. Such procedure is far from the
case. Aid is to be extended through
cooperative organizations by making
it possible for such groups to obtain
caiia advances to bold crops so as to
permit ot more orderly marketing.
"While the primary relation is with
cooperatives, the individual or unor
nanlzed .farmer will also profit by the
activities ot bis organized fellows. If
a stabilized program ot merchandising
li able to elimlnatt the surpluses that
exert such depressing influence OS
prices the general price relation
should be Improved. If this occurs the
individual farmer should also benefit
"It is here the government Is pro.
posing a novel attempt in economics.
Through stabilization corporations for
each commodity it is proposed to
make possible the handling ot the
surplus so as to lessen its disturbing
Influence on prices. With non-perishable
products such a program is, ot
course, conceivably possible, but one
wonders what would happen it . sta
bilization corporation had to handle a
perishable crop In great quantities.
"Is It going to be possible for a sta
bilization corporation to stabilize? It
would be one thing if it had merely to
stabilize the American situation, but
often that situation Is complicated
with world conditions. Perhaps the
very tact that such a stabilization cor
poration Is In position to function may
have a steadying effect on the market.
"Markets respond to psychological
stimuli as do Individuals. The very
fact that the government has now def.
lnitely stepped Into the breach witli
all ot its resources available to make
the new plan work will exert un
doubtedly a strong stabilizing effect.
"It would be presumptuous to fore
cast what the ultimate effect of the
new act will be. It can, however, be
definitely stated that In the present
plan much ot the philosophy that had
been so drastically criticized as eco.
aomlcally unsound has been elimi
nated. The existing plan is worth
trying. It will undoubtedly cost the
Federal treasury no Inconsiderable
amounts of money, but If it produces
the hoped-for result It will have been,
well worth while."
Take American Ideas
and "Coin" to France,
It is curious that both in the south
east and southwest of France there
have long been what the French neigh
bors call American villa towns. But
those who live in them are not our
Americans at nil.
One of these towns Barcelonnette,
on the motor rood from Nice to the
French Alps nnd Lake Geneva has
been given all the privileges of a
tourist station by government decree.
It has some 3,000 inhabitants, with
streets laid out regularly and the out
skirts built up in what are known as
American houses square and white
and with green blinds.
Those who live in them are purely
French emigrants of a full century
ago, or their children, who have come
back from Mexico nnd our Mexican
frontier after making a fortune. It is
said that the least successful returned
with $10,000, and some with $100,000
nnd even more. They built up their
little neighborhoods to resemble what
tlioy had for themselves in the New
world. One from Texas built a verl
tnliio chntenu. but society must hove
lii'on too strong for hlra in France,
imhI he took his family back to free
America. Perhaps tils grandchildren
iiiv among our own Americans who
now own 1,500 villas on the Klviera.
Kxchnnge.
Pray With Child, Is
Advice Given Mother
Of course, the real way is not t
tench children to pray at oil, but
whether privately or in the famllj
group, to pray with them. Here ii
a mother who still la trying to gel
nn adolescent boy to bow at her kne
ouch evening and say his prayers. Sh
suspects that something is the matter j
She can see that his dutiful deslr
to please her Is under increasing
strain.
Strangely enough, It never has oc
curred to her that both physically
ii ml mentally her method is wrong and
that if she wants her boy to pray,
from the beginning she should have
been on her knees beside him praying
with him. - ,
She should see also that very soon
Klie must take her hands off that in
thmite matter altogether and let him
pray as he will, trusting not so much
to anything she has told htm as to
the fact that he knows by observa
tion the value of prayer to persons
whom he himself has loved and ad
mired. Religion Is something that only sec
ondarily can be taught It must pri
marily be absorbed, and then the
teaching can persuasively set .forth
the meaning of the life that the child
finds himself both observing and catch
ing in the home. Hurry Emerson In
the World's Work.
"Days of Real Soort"
in Rural Community
To mnny who have never lived in
the country the life of the fanner
seems to be on emllpvs round of l.ibor,
with little, if any, pleasure to break
the monotony. However, like many,
opinions formed by one-lmlf of the
world in regard to how the other half
lives, this point of view Is errone
ous. True, the farmer's toll Is Ineesfunt
throughout the year. It has ever
been thus. On the other hand, there
always has been much to relieve It
of which the city-bred people know
little or nothing.
It also contained In the oldn days
certain picturesque elements lacking
in the country life of today. There
was a color and sparkle which the
more or less sophisticated rural life
of the present time knows not.
Think of the sleighing purties, the
husking bees, the apple-paring bees,
the quilting parties and the singing
school, to say nothing of the "rais
ings." Some ot llicse Involved labor, of
course, but the socinl element over
shadowed "the work element ; and . a
"raising" was an eagerly anticipated
event Boston Globe.
Water Connoisseur
Managers of. archeological expedi
tions into the Orient find that the wa
ter boy Is one of the most important
personages about the diggings and one
who must be taken care of. Without
this institution the laborers would re
fuse to work, says a member of a re
cent expedition Into Turkey. The
Turk and the Greek and all other peo
ples of the Levant drink four or five
times the amount of water that we oc
cidentals drink. And, what Is more,
they insist on Its being pure. They
have a fine tnste In water vintages.
Turks have been known who could
distinguish between water from a
stream which had Mowed through an
oak forest and tluit which had
flowed through a forest of firs. They
also drink from one spring nnd refuse
another.
Distance of Horizon
The actual distance of the horizon
depends upon the height above sea
level of the eyes of the observer. The
horizon Is always ns far away as one
can see. The higher one goes up from
a given point the greater Hie distance
of the horizon. The observer looking
out over the land or sen from a high
place can see more of the earth's
round surface before the curve of the
surface takes things beyond the range
of vision. If one stands on a cliff 100
feet high at the seashore nnd looks to
ward a point where a ship Is coming
toward the shore, the ship enn be seen
much sooner thnn If standing nt sea
level. In exact words, one sees ac
tually more of the earth's surface the
higher up one is because, with the in
crease of elevation, one's position In
relation to the curvature of the earth's
surface changes.
Rather Different
No one in the village showed much
concern at the news that Booker was
dead, for he had earned a reputation
as one who could not be trusted. But
a few months after his funeral Rooker
was responsible for a big sensation.
"Have you heard about the deface
ment of Rooker's tombstone?" asked
one villager of another as the two met
In the main street It appeared to be
the one topic of conversation In the
place. But the second villager, had
not heard about It
"What's happened?" he inquired.
"Some one has added the word
friends' to his epitaph." t
"What was his epitaph?"
The first villager grinned.
"'He did his best.'" he said.
In Bridal Attire
The rectory of a certain church Is
the scene of an unusual number of
weddings due perhaps to the popular
ity ot the rector and the beautiful
service he reads, which impresses the
couple being married with the solemn
nlty ot the vows being taken.
On a recent occasion the minister
saw an amused look on the face of the
bridesmaid, one almost bordering on
a titter. He did not know the cause
of it until the service ended when, on
looking around, he saw his baby
granddaughter Ann arrayed In a hat
and other requisites of the bridal
party. Indianapolis News.
THE ATHENA MARKET
We carry the best
Meat
That Money Buys
Kippered Sainton, all Kinds of Salt Fish. Fresh
Fish. Oysters, UraDS, warns, tvraui in oeasuii.
A. W. LOGSDON I
Main Street Athena, Oregon.
Marie Antoinette Made
i - Blue Flower Popular
: One ot the most popular patterns
for china during the last years of the
Eighteenth century was a little in
dividual sprig of blue cornflower,
sometimes used In combination with a
green leaf and sometimes without
This pattern was so much used at
'the Chantilly potteries that when
copied by the English potteries it was
known as the "Chantilly Sprig." Later
the name was shortened to "Sprigged
'China. However, the design was
'first made at Sevres and owed its
origin to Marie Antoinette. '
This young queen of France took a
great interest in the porcelain works
at Sevres and frequently visited the
Sevres factory, where a great deal of
Porcelain was made at her order for
her rustic farm of Trianon.
; Marie Antoinette's favorite color
was blue; and one day while visiting
the Sevre works she mentioned that
Sevres had produced nothing but
roses, tulips, and Jonquils and no blue
flowers.
Hoping to please the royal lady
Hettinger gave orders to have painted
on the dishes the little blue corn
flower that she loved so much. In
stantly on its appearance the tiny
blue sprig became the rage. Chan
tilly took it up and all the large pot
teries In England followed suit Kan
sas City Times.
Oxen Play Important
Part in Korean Life
The Korean people are most Indus
trious workers of the soil, and from
time immemorial oxen have borne the
brunt of the battle. Methods of cul
tivatlon preclude the use of mechani
cal devices and, as the native horse
Is too small for farm labor, the farm
er's main beast of burden is his ox or
cow. These animals plow his fields,
haul his heavy loads and turn his
mill
The lost service which Korean cat
tle render their masters is to be
slaughtered for food or for hides.
Since the expulsion of Buddhism by
the II dynasty In the Fourteenth and
Fifteenth centuries, the people have
been accustomed to the use of meat
us an article of diet particularly on
all ceremonial occasions. As most of
the farmers live . In small Isolated
communities, the cattle market be
comes his "social center," combining
his club, newspaper and debating society.
Intelligent Locust
The locusts are the only living be
ings that "have made the world safe
for democracy." They are the only
one who have actually learned the se
cret of co operation. They have abso
lutely no overhead charges. They do.
not have to support a king, nor pay
a horde of professional politicians and
government officials to manage them,
while they themselves do the work
By some masterly system of "get-to
gether" they perfect an excellent or
ganization without lendershlp, and
without Internal dissension. .That is
more than any collection of human
beings has ever been able to accom
plish. .
Bell & Gray
Phone 593
Two Auto
Truck Drays
Always At Your Service
City and Country
Hauling
ICE
LOOK
THIS
OKI
Dwelling, barn -out buildings, 4
acres good, , ?1500
80 acres bottom, fenced, no build
ings, Idaho, ...... 4000
Business building, ample living
quarters adjacent, all 750
600 turkeys at $2.00 each by the
bunch, .
Good home and 85 acres priced
down.
320 acres best quality farm land.
B.B RICHARDS,
mm
Who Wants an Imitation?
WOULD you call on your local mer
chant and ask. him for ''imitation'
sugar, or raisins, or coffee? Would you
ask him to sell you a pair of shoes r
made of something "just as good" as '
leather? Or a suit of clothes "made
for" a man, whether or not it fits you? ..'
Get the Genuine
International Repairs
When you need re
pairs for your I H C
Farm Equipment,
buy the genuine re
pairs. See that this
u .trade-mark appears
on each piece.
Genuine I H C repairs are made from the
original patterns all others are copied from
copies. Genuine I H C repairs are made of
the same material, have the same finish, fit as
accurately, and wear just as long a3 similar
parts purchased with tne original implement or
machine.
We are the Authorized IHC Dealers
There is one certain and infallible way to
secure genuine IHC repairs- buy them from
us. And remember that International service,
rendered by us, can only be 1 00 per cent right
when International machines are equipped with ,
genuine International repairs.
ROGERS & GOODMAN
A Mercantile Trust
Athena, Oregon
INSURANCE PLUS
Every motor vehicle should be pro
tected by Public Liability and Pro
perty Damage insurance. Cost very
little and is worth many times the
cost. Every owner should carry
Landlords, Owners and Tenants Lia
bility insurance, only $7.50 and may
save your home. This is an age of
ambulance chasers and damage suits.
You owe it to yourself and to society.
Neglect may wreck your fortune; it
is wasting nt the bung hole and sav
ing at the spigot. Liability protects
you, life insurance protects your fam
ily. We write it and service our
policies throughout the policy year.
Insurance plus service.-
B. B. RICHARDS.
COAST RED CEDAR.
FENCE. POSTS
Direct from Producer' to Consumer
Buy Collectively
Address, N. Bolvig, Box 327, Orting, Washington
Jensens
.''I'"
Blacksmith Shop
Repair Work
PriceswReasonab!e
Athena, Oregon
MIA lil PI
and
8MB
STAIN
e. t. Booth
Successor to "Pink"
Third Street - - -
Athena
Why suffer with
tired, aching feet?
Regardless of their condition, I can
- . help you
E. M. MOREMEN
Foot Correctionist
22 W. Main St. Walla Walla
iBBTiNG
The Gun Man '
I make a specialty of
SPRAY-Painting
Barns
Houses
Elevators
Mills v
or anything that you might have
to paint.
CALL me for an estimate
J. P. McCarroil
' 404 Bellevne
PJjpne 3017 Collect
Walla Walla, Wash.
Twin City Cleaners
The firm that does your work as you want it done, at the
Consistent with expert workmanship. We call for and deliver on
Monday, Thursday and Saturday. ;
We are represented in Athena by Perm Harris
Phone 583
T. E. Smith, Prop. Freewater, Oregon
Lowest
Reduction In Electric
Light Rates
The following reduction in Electric light rates will
be in effect on and after March 15, 1929:
. Residential Rates
First 30 KWH hours used, per month....l0c per KWH
Excess over 30 KWH used, per month....3c per KWH
The above rates apply when bills are paid in full within 10 days
from date of bill. Otherwise, the rate will be increased by 10 per
cent on each item. - -.
Commercial Rates
First 100 KWH used per month,.:.- 10c per KWH
Next .200......... - 7c per K WH
Next 300. :.: 6c per KWH
Next 400............................ ;.-oc per KWH
Next 1000.... .. ..4c per KWH
Excess over 2000.... ........ScperKWH
The above rates Apply when biils re paid in full wHMk 10 days
from date of bill. Otherwise, the rate will be increased by 10 per
cent on each item. ,
Preston-Shaffer Milling Company
PAi"4Vf-i.prFTFTrTi
. Announcement
THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF ATHENA, OREGON,
Announces that it has com-pieted the organ
ization of a
Trust Department
and is qualified to act as Executor, Administra
tor, guardian, or in any other fiduciary capac
ity Just think what 37 years of successful banking
experience would mean to the executor or ad
ministrator of your estate.
Ask us for Information