HIGHER LIVING STANDARDS ON FARMS URGED

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6672, 27 July 1928, Page 4

HIGHER LIVING STANDARDS ON FARMS URGED

•FARMERS ADVANCE DOCTRINE br SPENDING MORE FOR - CULTURE, - ■ UEBANA, HI. j " Farmers : should spend what income they make to raise their own standard of living rather than to buy more land or produce bigger crops. The only way to have your cake is to eat it.” • ■ This recent economic doctrine; new in its. application to farming, was urged as a practical policy by individual v farmers and at least one authority in, rural economics before the American Country Life conference, here. ''The' average farmer works too many hours in the field,” says an Indiana agriculturist, who runs a “oneman‘jam,” told a study group.. “If we work less and spend more time reading and thinking, wo would .get bettor returns for our labour and more enjoyment.” . (I'- ' vii 'i '' BaisexPatm Conditions; - \x^ { 'T i : Dr Henry C. ' ’Taylor, a’ mcmboT.’of the staff of tho ’■ Institute-'. of .-Land’ Economics at Northwestern University, stated’the theory in other terms; * ‘lf you . spend your 'income - to get more land aid produce more crops, you will flood'thei market and lower prices, but if you/spend it on education and home improvements, you ’keep up prices and raise the standard of farm living.’’ V Dr Taylor ■ was’-, introduced by Dr. Kenyon’ L. -Butterfield, president of the Association,' as .“our pioneer in agVi ; . cutural eConotaics.V N ’ ' , Raising the'standard of living is held by many conference speakers as «>no of the many means of increasing tho. farm income. Prof. Cari. 0, Taylor,; 4'can of the Graduate Boh-ml df North Carolina State College, sold,, “The sag in; the standard of. living is in no little part a sag in tho thinking of tho people, It needs a big group attack.” , ; On Constructive Influences/ Pushing the big problem of the economic slump in the farm industry into, the background, farmer speakers fo- ■ cussed their thoughts on constructive influences at play. They addresed group meetings where professors of agriculture sat in the audience, reversing 'the usual procedure. , Extension work carried on by, agricultural colleges of the states, many speakers declared, is enabling farm families.to, make better use of what they have. ' The mental training ; ' dcflned by a farm-woman as “teaching us tb think through,” ‘was credited with improvements from canning methods to the quality of Chautauqua programmes. ,i, It is not wealth, but those cultural opportunities that bring the real joy that farm people want for their children, Mrs. Ellsworth Richardson, an lowa farm woman, active in farm bu-. reau work, declared.