Show REPORT TELLS of NEEDS OF FARMER SITUATION AS SEEN BY I 1 commission ON COUNTRY LIFE deficiencies OUT agriculture at present not commercially as profitable as is it Is entitled to be highly organized I 1 rural society recommended ns is desirable step possible for congress to remove many of the handicaps washington tho report of tile tho coll commission I 1 I 1 on oil country life made to lo tile tho president was read lit in both houses of congress substantially tile tho ro 10 fiort wits waa ns as follows to tile the commission on oil country ure herewith presents pit senta lla its ro laport rort the commission finds that iff cri culture in tho the united states taken together Is prosperous commercially when vian moa measured by tile coll trolls tt have i in provi arcilous pr cilous ouis years i ol ni thourl though there a me re soma so ly i 6 regions in willai this Is only partially true tile tho country people nio producing anit it of oc for foi food shelter Bli elter clothing and for uno in ili tile tho flits arts the country homes are improving in comfort attractiveness find and healthfulness not only in ili the material wealth that they produce but in the supply of independent ilo pendent and strong citizenship tile as ag ri cultural people constitute the ilia very foundation of 0 our national As A agriculture la Is the immediate busts balsi of country life so it follo follows that the alie gendral affairs of tile open country ti peaking broadly aro are it III a condition of improvement most prominent deficiencies yet it la Is true notwithstanding nil all this progress na its gensu r e I 1 b by y I 1 ahls is standards that agriculture Is not commercially as profitable lis is it la Is entitled to bo be for the 1 labor abor and energy that the farmer expends arid and the risks that lio lie ns ames mmes and that the social conditions in tile open country aro are fur far short ot of their we must inVa measure suro our agricultural efficiency by tho the possibilities rather than linn by co corn karlbon carlson with previous cunditt ns the tumor Is IB almost necessarily 0 hand capped in tile tho development of ills hla bustness business because lila ills capital to ta small antl anil tile volume of ili hlf transactions limited and lie usually stands practically alono alone interests I 1 in n the general readjustment of modern life due iliin to the lie great changes in ill gianu anil and commerce inequalities anil and discriminations have arisen in lson and the separate man suffers most the alio unattached mail inan lins hns terns lama that eliat government should understand the reasons for or the lack of it a highly organized rural society are very many ua as the full ul report explains the loading specific eaulm are I 1 A lack of 0 knowledge on th 1 I apart of oc farmers tit of the exact agriculturist I 1 con dit irons and or of ahe I 1 r re 0 t P LIP 1 tit of bood f for or count coun 1 r lire if in s 1 lack T of rood good highway facilities tho the widespread continuing deale i tian 0 of solla soils with tile the injurious effect un tin rural lire itro A RL miral need of ney nev and active lender leadership ship I 1 other causes contributing to tile general Rn cral result are tack lack T ack of any nde ado junto system ast in of agricultural credit where hereby liy s the 0 farmer may readily cure loina loans on fair terms the shirt are age of 0 labor it a condition that Is often complicated oll liy by intemperance among workmen lack of ln and incentives cen en tives that tie ills the laboring man to tile tho soils soil the burdens ani and the lhrrow narrow life of farm women lack lach of adequate supervision of public health nature of the remedies somo some of 0 edles lie with the national dional government some borne of them with the lie states and communities in their corporate capacities some with voluntary organizations anil and some with individuals divi duals acting alone from the great number or of suggestions that have been made do covering every phase of 0 country life a t the he commission now enumerates those that seem to bo be most moat fundamental or most needed at the present time tim congress can remove some borne of the handbills hand bills of III the t e farmer and it can icso set sonio bonio kinds of work in motion such as tile encouragement of it a system of thoroughgoing thorough going surveys of all agricultural tu ral regions in order to tale take stock a and n d to develop a scientifically v and economically sound country life the e of a nationalized system of extension dvork in rural communities through all tile the land grant colleges with the people at their homes and on an their farms A 1 gahie investigation by ex experts erts of tho the middleman system of handling farm products coupled with ti ft general inquiry into the farn tera lers disadvantage advantages in ili respect to taxation transportation rates operation cooperation co organizations and credit and the general business system an inquiry into tho the control and use of 0 t tile the streams of tho the united states with the object of protecting the people in their ownership and of saying savins to agricultural kvies such stich benefits as should ho be reserved for these purposes the of a high highway jv a y en ell or equivalent organization to be at the call of tho the states in ili working out effective and economical ical highway systems 1 I 1 tho the establishing of a system of parcels post and postal savings baglis and providing some gome means or agency for the guidance of public opinion toward tile tho development of a real rural society that shall rest directly on the land other remedies recommended for co consideration by congress are the rhe enlargement of tile united states bureau of bf education to enable it to stimulate and ordinate coordinate co tile educational work of tile the nation careful at attention tAtion to the farmers interests in legislation on the tariff on regulation of railroads control or regulation of corporations and of speculation ula tion legislation in respect of rivers forests forests and tile the utilization of swamp swamp lands increasing the powers of the federal in respect to the supervision and control of the public health providing such as will enable the states that do not permit the sale of liquors to protect themselves from traffic from adjoining states in setting all these borci in motion the operation cooperation co of tile the states will be I 1 I 1 I 1 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 necessary and in many cases definite state laws lawa may greatly aid the work remedies ot of a more general nature are A broad campaign of publicity that must be undertaken until ull all tho the people are informed on the whole subject of 0 rural life an aej until there thera la Is an awakened appreciation of the feces ity kity k of giving tills phase of f our national development as much attention fin as has been riven given to other phases phase pr interests a quickened sense of rf re in all the tha coun country people e to the community and tho the state in the conserving of sol soil fertility and in fix the necessity for diversifying diversifying farming in ord order r to conserve this fertility and to develop develop a bettor better rural society and a alao A 0 in the better safeguarding safe guarding of the strength th and happiness of tile tho farm women a more widespread conviction of tile necessity of organization not only f for 0 t ec 0 n m i c but for social purposes r 0 mei athla t li 1 4 organization 0 r to bo e more or less operative cooperative co so that all the people may share equally in tho benefits and have voice in the essential affairs of tho the community a realization on tile the part of tho the farmer fanner that lie has a distinct natural responsibility toward tho the laborer in providing him with good I 1 living iving facilities and in helping him in ovary way vity to fie bo a man mail among men and a realization on the P part art of all tio tie people of tile obligation to ill protect ant mid develop ho natural and at tract I 1 veness of at the open country underlying problem of co country life tile the commission has ham pointed out a number ot of that tire aio extremely ly important but running through gli ill all of cheso rem remedies edles art are several groat great forces or principles which must bo utilized in the endeavor to volvo tho the pro proteins Weins of 0 couii coul itry life all tho peo pie should recognize what hat cheso run cun forces antl iiii agencies asen agen clea cles tiro tire knowledge I 1 to lo improve n any ny olau nelon the facts must lie bo tin der stood aho farmer have ox ex a net c t knowledge of lily its buti business liless and ot of tile tho pecullar conditions under tinder which lie works the states state depart ment of agriculture rind and tho the experiment stations tind and colleges col lesea tire rapidly and distributing tills knowledge but tile farmer may inui not ile bo ablo to apply it to the iho lost beat advantage bo be caise of lack of knowledge knowl eclo of till 1114 own soils bolls cl chimato imato and plant dis icsia in mariales and other loca I 1 facts the I 1 lie farmer Is entitled to know what are tile tho adv advantages a and disadvantages of ilia his conditions ind and environment A thoroughgoing thorough going system f surveys in detail of the exact underlying farming in every locality la Is now tin an indispensable need to complete anil and apply tile the work 0 of the great agrical agrI cul tural institutions As an occupation a Is a means of developing I 1 ott our r internal resources we cannat d do celop these resources until we know 3 exactly what they aro are education thero there must bo be not only a fuller scheme of public education but a new kind of education adapted to tho ho real needs of the farming arming people the country schools are to be so redirected that they shall educate aduca te their PUP pupils its in terms of 0 tile the dally life op for training toward the agricultural colleges colleg cs nio are to be multiplied and made effective alvery person jerson on the land jand old or young in school or out of school educated or illiterate must have a chance chanca to receive the information necessary for it a successful business and for a healthful comfortable resourceful life both in home and neighborhood tills means redoubled efforts effort for better country Iu schools and a vastly increased interest in the welfare of country boys boyi arid and girls on oil the lie part of those who pay the sebooh taxes tates education by means meana of agriculture Is to be a part ot of our regular public school work special rr kols acotto bb b altere Is to bo be a well de i voloyed Ve loped plan of extension te by the agricultural collein col leia legOo hy by means meana p af pf the printed paire page face to face talka and demonstration or object lesson designed design pd to lo reach every farmer and ills his family at or near their honi bomea es with knowledge rind and stimulus ti elul in every department of country life organization there must bo be a vast enlargement ot of voluntary organized ef fort among farmers themselves it Is indispensable far farmer nier shall together Kether to for their common interests interest a anil nd tor for the national wel welfare faro if thel the do not do tills no governmental activity no legislation not oven bette 1 schools will greatly adall the farmers are nevertheless relative relatively ly unorganized gani g zed we have only begun to develop business operation cooperation co in america farmers do not influence legislation as they should they rhey need a more mora fully organized social and life 1110 spiritual forces the forces and institutions that make for or morality kiil d spiritual ideals amons among rural pe people 0 must lie ile energized we miss tile tha henrt heart of 0 the problem it if we to foster faster personal character and neighborhood r righteousness the best wicy way to preserve ideals for or private conduct and public life Is to build up the insel of religion the church has great ri eat power of at leadership the whole people should understand that it la is vitally important to stand behind tho the rural church and to help bell it to become it a treat great power in developing concrete country life ideals it la is especially important that tile the country church ree rec that it lias has ft a social responsibility to the entire community as well an ai a religious rell responsibility to its own group of 0 people recommendations of the commission tho the commission recommends all tho the correctives that have been mentioned under tho the head ot of the nature of the remedies it does not wish to discriminate between important mr measures as nt nf relief tor for existing condit conditions inns it has purposely avoided In dorsing 11 any aly particular bill now before con press gross no matter what its value or object there are however in the opinion of 0 the commission two or three great ecat movements of 0 tile tho utmost consequence that should be set under way at tho the earl earliest est possible time because they are fundamental to the whole grobl n of ultimate permanent reconstruction those call for or special explanation taking stock of country life th there e should bo be organized as explained in tile the main report under governmental govern ern orn mental leadership a comprehensive plan tor for an exhaustive study or survey of oc nil all the conditions that eliat surround the tha business of farming and ane people who vile live in tile tho country in order to I 1 take anke stock ot of our resources find and to supply the f farmer armer with local knowl edge federal and state governments agricultural colleges anil and other educational agencies organizations of n varl various types and individual I 1 kouni students f the problem should I 1 brought into operation cooperation co for this gibat RI eat work ot of in vesti gating with minute care nil all agricultural and country life conditions nationalized extension work kach state college ot of agriculture should be as soon as practicable a complete department of college extension so managed as to reach every person on tho the land in its state with both information and inspiration the work should includes such forms forma of extension teaching as aa lectures bulletins reading courses correspondence courses demonstration and other means of reaching the people at horne home and on their farms it should be dosline to forward not only the busan business ss of agriculture but sanitation education home making and all interests interest of country life I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 |