The County Board of Commissioners spent most of yesterday considering pro and con the Home and Farm Demonstration Work in the County. The Board convened about 10 o’clock and at 11 delegations from all over the county appeared before the Commissioners to ask that the work be retained or to voice a protest against it. In deference to the ladies, the Home Demonstration work was considered first. Mrs. Estelle Smith, District Home Demonstration Agent, started things off by presenting in forcible language the merits of Home Demonstration work. Mrs. smith has been in the work for 10 years, and she spoke from personal experience. She made a strong plea for the work to be retained in Johnston County along with the 53 other counties that have it. Her statements were backed up by personal testimony from about 10 sections of Johnston County. Mrs. D.J. Wellons, who was the first Home Agent in Johnston County, spoke in behalf of the work, and she was followed by Mrs. Mashburn of Bentonville township, Mrs. T.W. Ives of Johnston School Club, Mrs. Grey Easonn of Clayton, Mrs. Edgar Woodall of Pomona, Mrs. Marshall Lassiter of Elevation, and Mrs. W.M. Sanders of Smithfield. Mrs. Herring of Selma read a letter from Miss Sallie Herring, her daughter, who recently won a Statewide demonstration contest and was awarded a trip to Chicago. Miss Herring presented splendid argument for the retention of the work. Two gentlemen champions of the Home work, Mr. John Barnes of Creech’s School and Mr. J.R. Atkinson of Micro township, voiced their sentiments in regard to Home Demonstration work, which carried conviction to those who heard them. Various phases of the work was commended upon showing how it has broadened from simple canning clubs to everything that pertains to a well-conducted home. When these advocates of Home Demonstration work had finished, the chairman of the County Board of Commissioners called for the opposition to present its views. A silence pervaded the Commissioners Room so that a pinfall could be heard. Then Mr. F.H. Brooks in moving that the work be retained unanimously, made a telling speech commending the work. A striking fact in connection with Home Demonstration work was the general satisfaction over the work of the present agent, quite a number asking that not only the work but that Miss Garrison be retained.
The Board of Commissioners then turned their attention to the Farm Demonstration work Mr. E.W. Gaither, District Farm Agent, was the first speaker in favor of keeping it in Johnston County. He presented figures showing that the amount expended by the county for this work is very small and not to be considered when the good that it does is known. He was followed by Mr. Charles F. Kirby of Selma, who told what Farm Demonstration had meant to him. “Farm papers are all right, and I take them and read them,” said Mr. Kirby, “but it takes a Demonstrator to put one to doing things.” He spoke of reading about permanent farm pastures in a farm journal, but it was not until a County Farm Agent showed him how, that he planted 10 acres in permanent pasture. He had read about vaccination for cholera saving hogs from dying, but he had to lose a thousand dollars worth of hogs before he got help from the Farm Demonstrator in vaccinating for this disease. “The needs of this age,” he said, “are better schools, better roads, and better agriculture, and the farm agent is one of the very effective means of improving agricultural methods and conditions.”
Mr. W.D. Avera then told what it had meant to him in teaching him to use improved cotton seed. Mr. John Barns spoke of the value of ordering co-operatively explosives for blasting stumps. Mr. J. Lib Lee told of how he had planted six acres in permanent pasture through the Farm Agent. Mr. S.P. Honeycutt of Benson spoke of about what he had learned spraying fruit trees. Mrs. T.W. Ives told how the Farm Agent had helped her to save from disease her pure-bred poultry flock. She also told of the convenience of the self-feeder for the hogs which she and her husband had learned from the Farm Agent.
There was smooth sailing for the Farm work from all appearances until Mr. Sid Narron of O’Neals township rose to his feet and reminded the Board of Commissioners that they had promised to cut taxes. His eloquence filled the Commissioners’ room as he presented the cause of the poor down-trodden tax-payer. Occasional applause showed that some of his friends were present, but the force of his logic was somewhat lost when his remarks became rather personal.
At this point the meeting recessed while the Board of Commissioners went to dine at the County Home and to inspect that institution.
In the afternoon, discussion of the Farm work was continued, those speaking in its behalf included Rev. J. Ruffin Johnson, J.W. Stephenson, Wiley Earp, and Dr. G.A. McLemore. Mr. Gaither spoke again, reducing the thing in a nutshell when he said that the vote on this question would be either a vote for ignorance or a vote for enlightenment.
It was late in the afternoon when the evidence was all in and the plaintiffs and the defendants took their departure and left the matter with the jury. The Board will meet again this morning and will probably come to some decision today.
From the front page of The Smithfield Herald, Johnston County, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 1925
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073982/1925-01-06/ed-1/seq-1/#words=JANUARY+6%2C+1925
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