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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (April 18, 1935)
tteb. Stutm ti in * • , ^— —.— .I, .. i . . .in i — ■.—I...in i VOL.LV. O'NEILL, NEBRASKA. THURSDAY. APRIL 18. 1985. No. 48 EMERGENCY FEED AND CROP LOANS AGAIN AVAILABLE ' ■ Regulations Make Largest Loan lo One Farmer This Year Five Hundred Dollars. Field Supervisor J. O. Walker, of the Emergency Crop and Feed Loan office at O’Neill, states that applications for emergency crop loans and feed loans are now being received by the Holt county loan committee, with offices located at O’Neill. In accordance with the Act of Congress authorizing the loans and regulations issued by Governor W. I. Myers of the Farm Credit Administration, loans will be made only to farmers who are unable to obtain elsewhere seed, fertilizers, supplies, feed or the necessary credit to purchase such items. Loans will not be made to applic ants who can obtain credit in the amount needed from any other source, including the production credit association. Any farmer who has the neces sary security should apply to the production credit association first. If the association is unable to make him a loan in the amount needed, the farmer will receive a statement to that effect and will be considered eligible to apply for a loan from the emergency fund. The regulations provide that the largest loan to one farmer this year is $500, but no loan may be made in an amount greater than is actually needed to cover the cash cost of purchasing seed, fertilizers, supplies, feed, etc. Loans will be made for the purpose of growing and harvesting crops, for summer fallowing, for purchasing feed for livestock; but not for the purpose of purchasing livestock or mach inery, or for the payment of debts or taxes. Loans will be made only to ap plicants who are cooperating with the Production Conrtol Program of the Agricultural Adjustment Ad ministration. As in the past, the security for an emergency crop or feed loan will consist of a first lien on the crop financied or on the livestock to be fed.. A tenant must also give a first lien by getting the land owner to waive his claim of the crop lien; but the landowner is in no way obligated for repayment of his tenant's loan. Checks in payment of approved loans will be issued by the Regional Emergency Crop and Feed Loan office at Omaha and not by the field supervisor or the loan committee. Nebraskans Think Relief Should Be Reduced In Amount By James R. Lowell Relief, one of America’s most immediately pressing- problems, is being- pretty well administered in Nebraska, has a demoralizing ef fect upon its recipients (lack of re lief would have a more demoraliz ing effect in a great number of cases), and should be pared to the bone immediately—that is the con sensus of 332 Nebraskans inter viewed at random in 17 counties ranging from Lancaster to Valley, and around thru Kearney, Nuckolls and Gage. Those interviewed were for the most part business men and farm ers, and 198 of them expressed the opinion that all concerned would be better off if half those on relief were dropped immediately. The dole was in general disfavor be cause of its demoralizing character, while considerable hope was held out for the new work relief pro ) gram which is designated to end the dole evil. There was almost unanimous dubiousness over the huge amount of money that is to be spent, however. Eighty-three persons said, in effect, that while we could get along with fewer on relief, it would mean that more people would be starving and homeless. The gov ernment is merely doing its duty at the present time, they thought. The consensus was that the in centive to work is inhibited under the direct relief plan by the fact that a subsistenance can be had for no work, or for a couple of days’ work a week, while to return to private jobs would require much longer hours and not a very much greater income. While there was considerable sentiment for local administration of relief, all agreed that the prre sent program has been more or less justified. The more philosoph ical ones pointed out that while there are bound to be imperfections in an activity as vast as the pre sent scope of relief administration, and some not entitled to relief would be sure to get on, something had to be done. Critics should turn their energy to removing the need for relief and not against relief itself, they declared. That relief administration offici als are not glorying in the size of the relief roll was indicated re cently in Lincoln when Frank D. Throop, chairman of the state re lief committee, told FERA execu tives from over the state that “re lief rolls must be cut down." He said: “We can’t cut relief off com pletely, instead we will have to taper off.” The relief investigating commit tee of the legislature was told by Relief Administration Rowland Haynes that politics have been kept out of relief in Nebraska, that the average salary of administra tive employes is about $87 and that his own salary is $-5,000 a year. Legislative observers agree that the relief investigation so far as administration is concerned is a waste of money. Will Hold Referendum On Continuance of the Present Wheat Contract Nebraska wheat producers will be asked to help decide whether or not the present wheat contract should continue into the future. The tenative date for a referendum vote has been set for May 25. Conferences to discuss the hand ling of the referendum vote will be called in the very near future and wheat allotment committee men and agricultural agents will undoubtedly have charge of the referendum in this county. According to word from Wash ington the proposal so far includes the use of the same base period that has been used, under the pre sent wheat contract with only a few slight modifications to take care of exceptional conditions. A contract might be drawn up, if farmers are favorable, to cover the next four years with the amount of adjustment and the rate and conditions of benefit payments to be determined each individual year. The present wheat contract which about 35.000 Nebraska wheat grow ers have signed, has called for a reduction of 15 per cent in wheat acreage in 1934 and 10 per cent in 1935. It has recently been mod ified to permit the seeding or keep ing of an additional wheat acreage for harvest in 1935 provided the producer will sign a supplemental contract to make the necessary re tirement in 1936. During the last two years the wheat contracted acres have been the most profitable acres on the farms of contract signers. During 1934 the benefit payments on the 15 per cent retirment amounted to about the same total in Nebraska as the gross returns from 85 per cent seeded to wheat. Since the price of wheat is gov erned largely by the world supply and price, and there is still a tre mendous carry-over of wheat in the world market, it will probably be possible and practical to continue the wheat adjustment program even tho this country has suffered from wheat crop failure during the last three years. Present estimates of the 1935 crop indicate that there will be about enough to take care of domestic needs and that the carry-over will remain at a satis factory figure. Third Dist. Republicans Will Hold Founders’ Day Ciet Together At Wayne Republicans from over the Third congressional district, comprising 22 counties, will congregate in Wayne on Friday, April 26, for first annual Founders’ day meeting. This meeting is outgrowth of Founders'-day-for-Nebraska organ ization which originated in Lin coln March 1, with S. R. McKelvie as president. A large turn-out is anticipated. Prominent speakers have been secured and republican ieaders will attend. The afternoon session opens at 2 o’clock in Gay theatre, with J. H. Kemp of Fullerton, and Mrs. W. E. Minier of Norfolk, presiding. MrJ McKelvie makes the principal ad dress, and round table talks will be given by Lyle Jackson of Neligh, Harry Salter of Norfolk, Mrs. Lil lian A. Elliot of West Point, Fay Pollock of Stanton, Asa K. Lane of Fremont, Henry Hunter of Colum bus, Julius Cronin of O’Neill, Mrs. W. A. Meserve of Creighton, Earl Moyer of Madison, Lumir Otrod visky of Schuyler, Dana Williams of Albion, Miss Eaton of North Bend, Wayne Davies of Butte, Phil H. Robinson of Hartington, and Keith Hopewell of Tekamah. At this session a permanent district organization will be effected, and officers elected with F. S. Berry serving as chairman of the nomi nating committee. A banquet at the Regis ballroom is scheduled for 6:30 o’clock, with C. A. Sorensen and Robert Sim mons as principal speakers. Spec ial entertainment is planned, and a dance will follow. Reservations for the banquet should be sent to E. W. Huse at Wayne, who has been named by S. R. McKelvie to take the lead in arrangements and pre side at the evening banquet. E. A. Cox Dies At His Geneva Home E. A. Cox died at his home at Geneva last Thursday night, after a very short illness, at the age of 6f> years. Mr. Cox was the agent of the Northwestern railroad at Geneva at the time of his death. He was the agent for the North western in this city in 1918 and 1919, being transferred from here to Geneva, where he had been sta tioned since. Mrs. E. D. Henry and daughter, Miss Elizabeth, left here last Fri day and drove down to Geneva to attend the funeral which was held Sunday morning, burial at Geneva, returning home Sunday night. Mr. Cox leaves his wife and one daughter, Mrs. Paul Henry to mourn the passing of a kind and indulgent husband and father, and a lot of friends in this city and other towns in the state where he lived while in the employ of the Northwestern railroad. James P. Marron Will Practice Law At O’Neill .James P. Marron, who has been practicing law here for^the past four years will take over the M. F. Harrington law office at O’Neill, next Monday, where he will con tinue with his profession. For the past five months that office has been operated by R. W. McNamara, who returns to Hartington, where he formerly practiced. Mr. Marron will make his future home at O’Neill and his family, Mrs. Marron and two daughters will join him there within a few days, the family now being at Jackson, Minn., visiting with rel atives. It is four years ago when Mr. Marron came here from .Sioux City and opened a law office and during that period of time he has acquired a large acquaintance and warm friendship with the folks in this community and Knox county. It is to be regretted that Mr. Marron is leaving Verdigre, nevertheless, his new location will be a much larger field in which to work and all his friends join in extending him the best of wishes and success at O’Neill.—V'erdigre Eagle. Holt County Boys Go To CCC Camps The following Holt county boys were mustered into the CCC ser vice last Tuesday and left Tuesday night for Albion where they will be enrolled, trained for a time and then sent to other camps in the state: Emil Kotas and Alfred Seg er, Atkinson; Harry Farner, Stu art; William Keithlej, Emmet; Harold Wilson and Ross Barnhart, Ewing; Rueben Mittlesstadt and Virgil Peterson, Page; Elmer Nich ols, O’Neill; Lee Conger, Inman; Franklin Baird, Agee. This office is in receipt of a re newal of her subscription from Mrs. H. H. Mitchell, of Jeffers, Mont., formerly Kate Sullivan of this city. She says that she could not get along without the weekly visits of The Frontier and that she and her aunt, Nora Sullivan, get a great deal of pleasure in perusing its columns, even tho a large num ber of their old friends have passed on during the past few years. WHAT’S DOING IN THE LEGISLATURE By James R. Lowell Recent legislative action assured Nebraskans that there will be no retail sales tax the next two years at least, but a state income tax and a chain store tax might emerge from the session. A special tax on insurance companies also is mak ing good headway The 2 per cent state sales tax bill introduced by Cushing (R) of Ord, was crushed under an aval anche of votes in the house last week, but another sales tax pro posal to raise funds for old age pensions survives in the senate. The latter bill by O'Brien, of Grand Island, levies a 2 per cent sales tax on good ' and merchandise with certain exceptions, to raise money for paying gratitudes to persons over 60 years old. Ap parently the bill will be killed when it reaches the house unless some other means of financing the pen sions is provided. Diversion of the 1-cent gas tax for relief and in creasing the present head tax from 50 cents to a dollar have been sug gested as revenue raisers. Incidentally, there is another old age pension bill being considered by the legislature. The plan, ac cording to Sehroeder, of Bloom field, introducer, is drawn to meet federal aid requirements of the Wagner-Lewis act, now awaiting congressional action. This bill would provide a permanent system of pensions for persons over 65. Revenue would come from a one per cent payment of yearly income by employes, one per cent from employers and a like yearly in come by employes, one per cent from employers and a like amount from the state. The minimum pen sion would be $35 a month. The income tax bill from the senate would tax personal incomes as follows: 1st $1,000, 1 per cent; 2nd $1,000, 2 per rent; 3rd $1,000, 3 per cent; 4th $1,000, 4 per cent; all over $4,000, 5 per cent. The corporation tax is a flat 4 per cent on all net income over $1,000. The insurance tax bill, passed by the senate and now before the house, levies a special tax of 2 per cent a year on gross premiums col lected in Nebraska by companies writing employers’ liability insur ance. The proceeds would be set aside to pay salaries and expenses of the new compensation court created by another bill. The chain store tax, likewise passed by the senate, would tax the first store unit in a chain $3; next four units, $10 each; next five, $25 each; next five. $150 each; all over 20 stores, $250 each. Ex emption from the tax is allowed dealers in oil and gasoline, coal and lumber, and organizations handling agricultural products. Governor Cochran expressed sat isfaction that the sales tax was killed in the hou-e hut had nothing to say concerning the flourishing income tax proposal except, "I want to reiterate that 1 am op posed to all new taxes." Big plans and high hopes are the order of the dav around the state highway department, now that the $4,880,000 work relief bill has been signed bv President Roosevelt. The state expects to get $9,925,000 for highways and streets, and $5,556, 000 with which to eliminate all dangerous railroad crossings in the state, out of the huge appropria tion. It is only a matter of time until a bill will be signed by the govern or, adding approximately 1.500 miles on 99 roads to the state highway system, the first such ad ditions since 1929. Altho there are 5,630 miles of undeveloped fed eral highways in the state at the present time, the legislature is passing this bill in hopes that some $15,500,000 expected to come from the federal work relief bill will be available for ctate highway im provement. The board of control, too, is casting a hopeful eye on the hoped for federal appropriation. Legis lators have deferred acting on a proposed institutional construction program, for which .3 of a mill levy was to have fbeen made, to wait word of whether federal funds may be available. The senate recently passed a bill providing 50 cents an hour min imum pay for common labor em ployed on road construction and other public works of the state and counties, and declaring that pre vailing rates in each community shall be paid to skilled workers. The bill applies both to work let by contract or done directly by the state and local units of govern ment. The house is proceeding slowly on this bill, fearful lest it should get the state “in Dutch" where federal monies are concerned. The work relief bill also is ex pected to about double the CCC en rollment from this state, making a total of approximately 6.000. Sifting committees are now hard at it in both branches of the legis lature and increasing talk of end ing the session is being heard, al tho Senator Bullard of McCook, suggested that instead of appoint ing a committee to arrange for final adjournment as was urged by Senator Schultz (R) of Elgin, a committee be formed to arrange for a Fourth of July picnic in Lincoln. The senate finally washed its hands of the unicameral bills and shoved them on to the house. The count now stands at 48 legislators and the same number of districts. The public welfare bill which was to have ushered in a new dawn in relief and social work in the state was killed by the house. It would have established a state depart ment of public welfare to handle all relief funds, and to include the state department of health and the labor commission. An investigating committee came , tramping in from the hinterlands and announced that President U. IS. Conn of Wayne state teachers’ I college is to be absolved from all blame in the recent fracas among faculty members of that institution. The committee recommended that 1 Prof. J. G. W. Lewis of the same institution be discharged with a good recommendation. The house decided that the liquor control problem was a second Gun ga Dinn, and sent the bill over to the senate to be properly peiced together. The governor signed seven bills including one to drop the governor and state game warden as ex officio members of the state game and park board and change the ward en’s official title to “chief conserva tion officer,” and another giving the governor jurisdiction over the Plainview bank of which State Bank Superintendent Saunders is the nominal head. This is to allow Saunders to retain his stock interest in the bank. Third Corn-Hog Checks Received Holt county has received approx imately $80,000 of third payment corn-hog checks which will be distributed this week. These checks are coming at a time when they are needed as bad ly as at any time during the year. Thirty thousand dollars worth of second payments for those who signed, the early payment contracts have also been received and distri buted within the last week. This totals over $110,000.00 coming at a time when very little money is ordinarily coming in from the outside. This places Holt county among the first counties in the state to receive their 3rd payment checks. APPRECIATION We wish to extend our sincere and most heartfelt thanks to all who so kindly and helpfully assist ed us during the illness, death aud burial of our beloved wife, mother, daughter and sister. Especially we thank Rev. Johnson for his com forting sermon, and the choir for the beautiful hymns rendered, and to all who contributed floral offer ings. Your kindness will always be cherished in our memory.—Guy Johnson and daughters; Mrs. Eflfie M. Brady and family. Miles Welsh Dies Sunday At Omaha Miles Welsh, one of the pioneer settlers of this county, passed away at his home in Omaha last Sunday morning after an illness of about a month, at the age of 72 years. Deceased leaves his wife, three sons and two daughters, be sides several grand children to mourn the passing of an indulgent and loving husband, father and grandfather. Miles Welsh came to this county with his parents about 1878 and lived for several years a few miles northwest of this city. About fifty years ago he moved to Omaha, set tling on the south side where he made his home since that time. For years he was one of the most prominent business men in that section of the city and had a host of friends. During the past fifteen years he had been in the real estate business and met with marked success in this line of work. Altho a resident of Omaha for fifty years he always looked upon O’Neill as his home town and he enjoyed meeting any of the old timers from this city and talking about the early days of O’Neill and the people of this section of the state. Milk Cows Should Be Fed Grain Until Grass Obtains Good Growth By L. H. Fairchild Formerly Professor of Dairy Pro duction, Purdue University. A common spring expression is, “We will certainly be glad when pasture time conies, so we won’t have to feed any more!” The dairy man who believes such a treatment is one whose highest production comes when milk is the lowest in price and vice versa. New pasture grass is palatable. Cows like it and will leave other feeds for it. However, pasture grass and especially that which is available early in the season, can not furnish nutrients enough for high producing cows nor for cows of only reasonably high production, if the cows are to maintain body weight also. Recently five cows from as many record-keeping herds in Indiana were found to have made low aver age production—only 5,06o pounds of milk and 202 pounds of fat per year. A study of the methods of feeding, showed that one of their greatest faults was the use made of pasture. Some of these cows were put on pasture too early in the spring, fed no grain while on pasture or left on pasture too late in the fall, some were subjected to a combination of all of these con ditions. The same cows were put together in one herd during the next year and better methods of feeding and management were practiced. The cows were not turned to pasture until the grass had made good growth. Thruout the summer, a satisfactory grain mixture was fed in addition to the pasture. In the fall, the cows were taken off the pasture when the growth of grass stopped. That these better meth ods of handling cows on pasture gave results was evidenced when the average production of these same cows increased to 8,662 pounds of milk and 316 pounds of fat. Increases of 71 per cent in milk production and 56 per cent in fat production were traceable in large part, to the feeding of grain on pasture. Gaius Cadwell came down from Huron, S. D., last Saturday and spent the week-end visiting his family. He returned to Huron Monday afternoon. Mr. Cadwell says they had a lot of moisture in his section of South Dakota this spring and that the ground is in splendid condition for spring plant ing. He says that there is a good deal of spring wheat being planted in South Dakota this spring and that more will be sown in the northern part of the state as soon as the weather moderates suffici ently. T. J. Graham was in from the Dorsey country this morning, look ing after business matters. CARD OF THANKS We desire to express our heart felt thanks to the many kind friends and neighbors for their as sistance and expressions of sym pathy during the sickness and bur ial of our beloved husband and uncle. Your thoughtfulness in our hours of sorrow will ever be grate fully remembered.—Mrs. Robert J. Marsh and Joey. ---— CARD OF THANKS We desire to extend our heart felt thanks to the many kind friends and neighbors for their as sistance and sympathy during the illness and burial of our dear husband and father, and for the many beautiful floral offerings,— Mrs. S. J. Benson and children. LAST RITES HELD HERE TODAY FOR STEPHEN BENSON Was One of County’s Earliest Set tlers. Homesteading Here In The Early Eighties. Stephen J. Benson died at his home in this city last Tuesday morning' after an illness of about a week, of infirmities incident to ad vanced years, at the age of 81 years, 3 months and 23 days. The funeral was held at 2:30 this after noon from the Presbyterian church, Rev. Ohmart officiating and burial in Prospect Hill cemetery. Stephen Jesse Benson was bom December 24, 1853 at Lewiston, Dl. He was one of a family of eight, fivedaughtersand three sons, child ren of Jesse Bond Benson and wife, pioneers of Fulton county, III., all of whom preceded, him in death ex cept one brother, Robert . Benson., of Peoria, 111. His father took a prominent and active part in public affairs in that county and helped in the construc tion of Fort Dearborn, now a part of the city of Chicago, and the de%elopment of what at that time was a new and frontier country. “Link” as he was known to his friends and neighbors, grew to manhood in Fulton county. III., and was married to Alice M. Purdy, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. L. Purdy, another pioneer family of that community, at Lewiston, on Jan. 1, 1877, and in 1883 he drove overland in a covered wagon to Wisner, Nebr., where he farmed for one year. His wife and family of three children came later on the train. He filed on a homestead fourteen miles north of O’Neill on August 23, 1883, and is one of the very few pioneers that still owned his original homestead at the time of his death. After filing on his land he built | a sod house that fall, and in the [spring the family moved on the place and that has been their home ever since, until March 1, 1984, when he retired., moving to O’Neill. The sod house was a cheap and at that time very popular kind of home, and many of the homestead ers lived in sod houses. By in dustry and economy the sod house was changed into a comfortable frame residence and the home stead was added to by the purchase of other land, and at the time of his death he owned more than a section of land. On January 1. 1927, Mr. and Mrs. Benson celebrated their golden wedding with nearly all of ther children and grandchildren, and a host of neighbors and friends pre sent. They have five children, two daughters and three sons: Mrs. G. W. Hess, Wayne, Nebr.; Jesse L. Benson, Owanka, S. D.; C. L. Benson, Norfolk. Nebr.; Mrs. Fred Harrison,Norfolk, Nebr., and Blake Benson, O’Neill, Nebr. The last two named were born on the home stead and Blake, the youngest, is now living there. There are four teen grand children and two great grand children living. All of his children were with him during his last illness and at the funeral. Relatives from a distance attend ing the funeral were Mrs. Hugh Drake, a granddaughter, and he’ husband. Hugh Drake, State Rail way Commissioner, of Lincoln, and Miss Helen Harrison, a grand daughter, of Weston, Nebr. Mr. Benson was one of the rea , old pioneers of this county, having made his home here for over fifty one years. He was a good citizen, loved by his family and respected and admired by all his acquaint ances. The real old-timers are rapidly passing to the great beyond. The men who came to this county in the latter seventies and the early eighties to carve out a home for themselves and their loved ones in this, at that time, a bleak and bar ren prairie, are becoming fewer and fewer as the years roll on and soon their presence among us will only be a memory. But they were true pioneers, withstood drouth,grasshoppers and blizzards and continued on the even tenor of their way providing for their loved ones and making the country better year by year for the Tising generation. And their work was not in vain, and many of (Continued on page 4, column 7.)
