Gresham outlook., July 10, 1914, Page 7, Image 7

TTOMR AND F ARAT M AGAZINE SECT TON
Home and Farm Magazine Section Editorial Page
Suggestions From Our Associate Editors, Allowing For an Interchange of Views, W ritten by Men of Experience on Topics W ith
Which They Are Fully Acquainted—Hints Along Lines of Progressive Farm Thought.
HOW AND W HEN TO BORROW.
IV E rules designed to convince
farm ers th a t th ere is no m agic
about c red it are set down in
fa r m e rs ’ bu lletin 593, “ How to Use
F a rm C re d it,’’ which the d e p a rt­
m ent has ju s t published. U nless
th e farm er who is th in k in g of bor­
row ing money fully u n derstands
these rules and is w illing to bo
guided by them , th e g o v ern m en t's
advice to him is— d o n ’t.
AS IT IS, T H E R E ARE PR O B ­
A B LY
ALM OST
AS
M A NY
FA R M E R S IN T H IS COUNTRY
W HO ARE S U F F E R IN G FROM
TOO MUCH AS FROM TOO L IT ­
T L E CRED IT.
O f these rules the threo most im ­
p o rta n t are:
1. Mako suro th a t the purpose
fo r which the borrow ed money is to
be used will produce a retu rn g re a t­
e r than needed to pay tho debt.
2. The length of tim e tho debt
is to run should have a close re la ­
tio n to the productive life of the
im provem ent for which the money
is borrowed.
3. Provision should be made in
long tim e Ioans fo r tho gradual re ­
duction of the principal.
The first rule is, of course, the
ksy to the wise use of credit. Be­
tw een borrow ing money to buy
equipm ent o f some sort w ith w hich
to m ake more money there is all the
d ifferen ce betw een folly and fo re­
sig h t, ex trav ag an ce and th rift.
I F T H E MONEY IS BORROW
E D FO R A W ISE PU R PO SE IT
W IL L PRODUCE ENOUGH TO
PA Y BACK P R IN C IP A L AND IN ­
T E R E S T AND LEA V E A F A IR
M A R G IN OF P R O F IT FOR T H E
BORROW ER IN TO T H E B A R ­
G AIN .
I f it is borrow ed for a foolish
purpose it will produce n othing and
consequently th ere will be nothing
w ith which to rep ay tho loan.
From this point of view it m atters
com parativ ely little w hether the in ­
te re st be high or low. I t is th e r e ­
paym ent of th e principal th a t is the
ch ief d ifficu lty .
Rules 2 and 3 deal w ith th e most
sa tisfa c to ry w ays of repaym ent.
U nderneath them both is the same
p rinciple: The loan must be re ­
paid w ith the money it earn s i t ­
self.
F o r exam ple, if the money is used
to buy a m achine th a t will la st 10
years, th e m achine must
earn
enough in th a t tim e to p a y for it­
self or it never will. The loan,
th erefo re, should be en tirely repaid
before tho 10 y ears are up o r th e
fa rm e r will lose money on th e tr a n s ­
action, paying ou t in terest io r no
b e n e fit in return.
On the o th er hand, if too early a
d a te is set for repaym ent, th e m a­
chine will not have had su fficien t
o p p o rtu n ity to m ake the requisite
m oney, and tho borrow er may have
d iffic u lty in raisin g it elsewhere.
R ule 3 provides fo r some form of
am ortizatio n , th e system by whieh
th e principal is repaid in in s ta ll­
m en ts so th a t th e am ount o f th e
loan is contin u ally dim inishing and
in consequence th e in terest charges
also. Such a system is quite fe a s­
ible when the loan is really produc­
tiv e, when it re tu rn s to the borrow ­
er a d e fin ite revenue each year.
T ables show ing th e paym ents re ­
quired to pay o ff principal and in
te re s t in v ary in g periods of tim e
a re appended to the bulletin and
are recommended to th e serious con­
sid eratio n o f ev ery one who contem ­
p la te s borrow ing money.
T he bulletin aleo advises th e
fa rm e r to secure th e low est possible
in te re st. A t firs t sig h t th is seems
too obvious to be w orth m entioning.
O f course, th e in te re st should be as
sm all
as
possible.
E verybody
know s th a t—except th e lender. B ut
i f the other rules are observed, if
th e borrow er m anages his fin an cial
a ff a irs soundly, he will be surprised
to find how much easier it is to ob­
ta in favorab le term s.
F
t
A
«
THE RIGHT KIND OF LEND­
ER DOES NOT WANT TO FORK-
CLOSE
MORTGAGES;
HU
W A NTS
H IS
MONEY
BACK
W IT H A F A IR P R O F IT , L IK E
ANY O TH ER M ERCHANT. FOB
MONEY T H A T IS BORROWED
W ISE L Y , FO R MONEY TH A T IS
SU R E
TO
BE
R E PA ID , H E
CHARGES LOW IN T ER E ST.
This, in fact, is why th e g overn­
m ent has published these rules for
borrow ers. I t is not so much a
m a tte r of d riv in g a shrewd b argain
as it is of observing a few fu n d a­
m ental principles which alone can
m ake cred it a blessing and not a
curse.
--------- $ ---------
SE N D FOB COL. GOETHALS.
horough investig atio n by gov­
ernm ent engineers shows th a t
th ere is a w ater supply in th e
semi arid and tho arid regions o f
th e west su ffic ie n t to irrig a te a p ­
proxim ately 30,000,000 acres, or
enough land to fu rn ish homes for
5,000,000 people, which is a big item
in these days of land scarcity.
The governm ent is spending more
th an $1,000,000 a m onth in reclam a­
tion work, and still it can not sup­
ply land fa s t enough to meet the
demand.
The cost o f a single b attlesh ip in­
vested in -an irrig atio n work will
supply 4000 fam ilies w ith p erm a­
nent homes on th e land, and every
do llar will in tim e be returned to the
fed eral treasu ry w ith interest.
We have sp en t $500,000,000- to
co n stru ct th e P an am a canal.
A loan of a lik e sum invested in
irrig atio n would m ake homes o f four
acres each fo r 250,000 fam ilies and
insure the fu tu re pro sp erity of 1,-
250,000 people w ith o u t tak in g a dol­
la r perm an en tly from the g overn­
m ent treasu ry .
On the basis o f the p resen t'n n n u al
retu rn s from governm ent irrig ated
lands, the products of this new area
each y ear would have a value of
$250,000,000, equal to one h a lf th e
to ta l investm ent.
An app ro p riatio n o f $100,000,000
should be niado im m ediately av a il­
able for th is work.
U nder tho wise and com prehens­
ive plans o f S ecretary Lane, it is
certain th a t w ith such a sum a v a il­
able the several w estern sta te s
would co operate by ap p ro p riatin g a
like sum for the prom pt co n stru c­
tion of irrig atio n projects.
T here are 30,000,000 acres of des­
e rt th a t can be reclaim ed and th ere
are 1,000,000 fam ilies th a t w ant to
p u t th is land in crop.
W hat are we going to do ab o u t i t i
In order to preserve th e economic
and social balance of th is country,
we m ust during the next decane, Jo-
vote more atte n tio n to its ‘’JH eul-
tu ral developm ent.
The pendulnm o f population must
be sw ung sharply forw ard, and the
m assing of people in centers already
congested m ust ecase.
D uring the last 30 y ears the d rift
has been stead ily cityw ard. In 1880
70 p er cent of th e population was ru-
ral; in 1910 it was only 54 per c e n t
In all bu t tw o gtatee th e urban pop­
u lation is now in creasing faster
th an th e rural.
I t is up to Uncle Sam to get busy.
So should w estern congressmen,
regardless oi politics.
L et a national loan o f $100,000,-
000 be m ade to develop th e in terio r
o f th e U nited S tates.
Colonel G oethals b u ilt the canal,
and oversaw the expenditures of a l­
most $500,000,000.
T here is no doubt th a t P resident
W ilson and S ecretary Im ne would
be given the $100,000,000 to spend
on irrig atio n of public lands, if they
p u t G oethals in ch arg e o f the ex­
penditure.
G oethals has made good.
R aise th is $100,000,000 and let
G oethals spend i t
T
------- ♦-------
VALUE OF FARM MANURE.
~ F P R O PE R LY eared for, the
m anure from one cow is worth
abont 50 cents a week.
I t doesn t pay to Lies it outside
th e barn door and let th e rain wash
th e valuable p a rt of it aw ay, does
ttt
I
W HAT DADDY W AS U P
AGAINST.
S I j OOKING back over my boy-
O_i hood days, ’ ’ said an A tchi­
son man
recently,
“ I
would not exchange them fo r those
my own boy is experiencing. I was
poor as a church mouse, while my
boy has an average good home, b u t
he is m issing so m any good, w hole­
some pleasures I had b n t did not
appreciate.
“ I w as raised out in the country
w here no person ordered me out of
th e ir w ay or o ff th e ir prem ises.
T here were fields and woods, creeks
to w ade in, b arn s to p lay in,
orchards w ith no ‘ keep o u t’ sign
displayed.
“ My son w ears sandals in sum ­
mer. I co u ld n ’t a ffo rd footw ear
fo r sum m er and w ent barefoot. My
boy has shoes th an can bo p u t on
easy in w in ter and overshoes. I
reveled in cowhide boots.
“ M y boy has overcoats, sw eaters
and th e w arm est underw ear. I
knew nothing about a sw eater,
bought my firs t o vercoat a fte r I
w as 20 y ears old and wore canton
flannel, home made underclothes.
M y boy has a coaster w agon, roller
and ice sk ates and o ften rides in
an autom obile. B ut he does not
have a dog, he never broke a calf
to lead, never has made or repaired
a wagon of any sort, d o e sn 't know
w h at it is to roam tho country
over.
“ I wonld not give the pleasure
I had w ith my dog, w hich I broke
to pull, a lam b I hitched up w ith
th e dog, a calf I broke to lead and
f i r ally to work in sh a fts until it
w as a y ear old, th e w ork of mak-
- ing c a rts for th e dog to b sul, re­
p airin g his harness, and dozens of
o th er am usem ents w hich never cost
a cent, fo r th e ro a s te r w agon, the
roller and ice skates, th e movies,
th e autom obile and tra in rides
w hich a re th e pastim e and pleasures
o f my boy.
“ Boys o f to d ay have th eir w ork,
pleasure and p astim e laid ont for
them . Boys o f my day had to cre­
a te th e ir own. I am sure 1 enjoyed
life more th an do th e boys of to­
d a y .’’
i.. i+---------—
H E EA TS L IK E A K INO .
ROM th e Rhymes of a R etired
H arv ester, in th e A tchison
Globe:
“ T he day s are long and heated
w here toils th e h arv est hand, and
ere th e j o b ’s com pleted, h e 'll sw ear
to b eat th e band.
“ F o r w heat beards tr y to pune-
tn re his w eath er beaten skin and
a t an o th er ju n ctu re, th e sw eat bees
rub it in. And when he seeks his
slum ber la te in the stilly night,
m osquitoes in larg e num ber drive
M orpheus to flig h t.
“ W hen comes th e firs t gray
daw ning o f one more su ltry day,
h e ’s ont whpre th e r e ’s no aw ning
to keep th e sun away. O nt there
until th e finish, he, juggles golden
grain lest o u tp u t m ight dim inish,
or get caught in th e rain.
“ The w ork is hard and dreary ;
the pay is not so g reat, fo r w orking
till y o n 're w eary from early morn
till late.
“ B ut h e re ’s a consolation for
those who go th a t w ay to feed a
hungry n ation and g a m e r w hat
th ey m ay:
“ H is a p p e tite ’s a w onder and
som ething hard to b eat, and yet
h o ’ll fin d , by thunder, they have
enough to e a t.’ ’
______
W H EN G IR L S L EA V E HOME.
L JZ A B IH H 8. M ’A TEE. g-ner-
__ al secretary of th e Young Wo­
m e n 's C hristian A ssociation, of
C incinnati, has w ritten a le tte r of
advice to girls.
“ My firs t advice to every coun­
try girl is, d o n ’t come to the city
unless it is absolutely n ecessary,’’
says Miss M cAtee.
“ A t th e present tim e there are
eo m any w ays in which a woman
can earn a livelihood in th e country
— w ays which require intelligence
and brains and which are exceeding
ly rem unerative.
F
E
“ On th e other hand our largo
cities are crowded w ith boys and
girls w orking for a few dollars a
week—so few indeed, th a t th ey do
not supply the necessities o f life.
“ If, in spite of advice, a girl ia-
sista on try in g life in the city, she
should have money enough to de­
fray her firs t m o n th ’s expenses and
pay her w ay home.
“ She should know w here she ■■
going when sho reaches the city .
“ Tho Y. W. C. A. is alw ays ready
to have stran g ers met a t th e utae
tion and d irect them to ssfe places.
“ Above all girls trav elin g alone
should not m ake acquaintances os
the tra in or a t th e statio n and
should ask inform ation only of of­
ficials in uniform .
“ The tim e is not fa r d is ta n t
when the N ational T ra v e le rs’ A id
Society will have a rep resen tativ e
a t every railroad statio n , tra c tio a
station and steam boat landing.
“ E very girl coming to a stran g e
city should bring w ith her a le tte r
from her pastor or some o th er per- ,
son of good stan d in g in the com­
m unity from which she com es.’’
|
The m ain th in g is: B efore loam
ing home, th in k tw ice or thrice.
J
____
A GOOD IDEA.
F the school children of P o rtla n d
and o th er points in Oregon and
W ashington a tte n d th e ‘ eluna-
bia R iver In te rsta te P air, to be
held a t V ancouver, Wash., Septem ­
ber 7-12, in as g re a t num bers as
there are free tick ets fo r them ,
special ears will have to be p u t on
th e run betw een P o rtlan d and V an­
couver.
To the school children o f P o r t
land 32,000 free tick ets have been
d istrib u ted , and some of the ch il­
dren who have gardens th ere will
e n te r the produce in com petition at
the fa ir th is fall. To children »
o th er places outside of P ortland 18/-
000 tic k e ts have been given to
them , good fo r S eptem ber IL
T his is a good idea.
A ny fa ir th a t in te re sts th e school
children w ill be a nuccoaa.
I
WTIAT BIG CROPS M EA N .
HOPS are big all over the
C
Staten.
T his m eans th a t lots o f m oney
w ill be {mid h arv est bands.
T h a t th e th resh er man will be
paid.
T h a t the farm ers can p ay th e ir
bills.
The ban k s will get th e ir prinek.
pal and in te re st on fa rm e rs ’ note*.
T h at the w arehouses will be folk
T h a t the railroads will have lota
o f cars to haul.
All along th e line big e.rope n«ejl
prosperity.
I t ’s ab o u t tim e fo r th e p e e s»
m ists to g e t to work.
If th ey w ere busy doing com »
th in g th ey w o u ld n ’t have titna te
howl.
H EW TO T H E LINK.
URAL o rganizations should hew
to the line.
K eep alive and doing.
M ake your pow er fe lt in yoar
comm unity.
P ull together.
Work for b e tte r schools, b ettm
roads, b c .te r m arketing.
Drop personal rivalries and je a l­
ousies, church prejudices and p o liti­
cal difference*.
I t you have no fa rm e rs ’ clubs in
your v icinity, organize one.
Work w ith your neighbors for the
good of all.
R
TO ADVBRTT3ERS.
A dvertisers In th is locality who
wish to fully cover all sections of
Oregon and W ashington and a por­
tion of Idaho w ill sp p 'y to local pub­
lishers for rates.
G eneral ad v ertisers may addram
C. L. B urton, A dvertising M anager,
411 P anam a Building, P ortland,
Oregon, fo r rates and in fo rn is tio x
The publishers will accept bust
n ets from no ad v ertiser whose relia­
b ility can be questioned.