Show activities AC A tivi ties of the rural rehabilitation explained it appears that tile the activities of tle the rural rehabilitation division of the resettlement administration in summit and morgan counties are not as well understood as they might be this program was originally intended to take farm families off the relief rolls it was then enlarged to include families who were in danger of having to go on oil the relief bools with tl the e that it Is worth as much or more to keep families off relief as to get tern tem off the work in summit and morgan counties Ls is under the direction of A S gardner county farm supervisor and mrs W V shaw home supervisor the rural rehabilitation program consists of working out detailed farm and home plans and lending the farmer sufficient monsy to put those plans into effect usually it means the purchase of horses dairy cows chickens hogs turkeys tui keys farm machinery and seed it may include tile the erection of farm buildings or the payment of delinquent taxes old debts can call be taken up on chattel mortgages only when it is necessary to avoid foreclosure in general the loan is made for the purchase of goods that will increase a mans income sufficiently to allow him to meet living expenses repay the debt and refinance himself only when a man can do these three things can he be said to have been rehabilitated any farmer in summit and morgan counties may be eligible for such a loan if he owns 0 or leases a farm and needs financial finn cial assistance which he cannot secure through the local banks or other lending ngen agencies cles when an application is received the he first step is to make a cartful investigation i of cf the moral charac ter er and general standing 1 s of the applicant As a result of t this his investigation a detailed report is filled out which report is then presented to the county rural rehabilitation committee this committee col consists insists of lead ing citizens of the county include ng the county agents and home demonstration agents this committee selves without pay actuated by the desire ti be of service to the people of the county they check carefully caie tully fully into the moral status of the applicant and discuss the feasibility of the farm setup set up which he desires if they approve the applicant the farm supervisor then visits him i in n his horne home where a detailed plan 1 is s worked out for the operation of the various crop and livestock enterprises terp rises which the applicant contemplates the home supervisor visits tile the applicants wife and with her cooperation a home plan is decided upon providing for the var various items that enter into the management of the farm home these these plans provide for the pay ment of the necessary living expenses and the meeting ot of the farmers obligations as they come due if the plans are feasible they will meet these requirements and show a positive balance in addition the feasibility of the farm and home plans Is passed on oil by specialists in the state and regional office when all are approved the loan is closed and the money turned over to the applicant this money must be spent strictly in accordance with the provisions of the farm plan already agreed upon while these loans are character loans based upon the moral standing experience and ability of the borrower they are secured by chattel mortgages upon all goods purchased and upon other chattels such as crops and livestock that the borrower can offer as additional security the farm plans provide for the repayment of the loan in from two to five years with interest at fivel five percent if the borrower Is able to make payments before they are due they can be made on any date and in in any amount this program began in summit and morgan counties early in 1935 during the sixteen months previous to july 1 1936 approximately 55 was lent to 75 farm families in summit and morgan counties an average of approximately apiece this means that nearly people in these counties have been taken off and kept off the relief rolls it means that nearly people have been given a new opportunity port unity to establish themselves and to become silt self sustaining members of the various communities ot of hese chese counties loaris loans have not been made since july 1 1936 and lending operations are now temporarily suspended be calse of the fact that all available funds are being concentrated in the revere evere drouth areas in the middle vest ever since the beginning of this or there have been some who have been skeptical of the abisa ability of making such character loans the proof of the wisdom of any ally program is to be found in its results the first result to be seen already is the new outlook the improved morale and the increased happiness of the one thousand neomle involved the next result is to be found in the fact that the loans are being repaid |