COUNTY FARM DEBT ADJUSTMENT COMMITTEE IN SESSION 

 "Their purpose to save farm homes from foreclosure." 



Adam Smith's Christmas 



How Farm Debt Conciliation Committees Have 

 Served in Bringing Creditors and Debtors Together 



replied Smith, 

 to give up the 



h '- 



J^ T was December, 1932. Adam 



IjI Smith drove his team over the 

 \^J scales of the Farmers' Coopera- 

 tive Eleva^r, climbed down from the 

 wagon filled with corn, and greeted Man- 

 ager Brown. /• — - 



"That finishes it, jihi^ What'itlje price 

 today.'" 



"Twenty-two Chicago on Number 

 One," answered Brown. "What's wrong, 

 Adam.-" In trouble?" 



"Nothin' else but, 

 "Looks like I'll have 

 farm." 



"Creditors pressing?" 



"Well, yes, but I don't blame them," 

 said Smith. "I'll soon owe two years' 

 taxes and interest, and I am behind two 

 installments on principal. Carrie has 

 worried herself sick about it." 



"What are you goin' to do, Adam?" 



"I don't know," was Smith's reply. 

 "Farmin's all I know." 



"This load comes to $7.20," said 

 Brown, glancing up from his figures. 

 He readjusted his glasses and looked at 

 Smith. He visioned his friend moving off 

 the farm upon which he was born forty 

 years before. Where would he go ? What 

 would he do? What would become of 

 the two boys and a girl, yes, and of 

 Carrie, Adam's wife? For a few mo- 

 ments neither Adam nor Jim spoke. 

 Then a light shown in Jim's eyes. 



"Have you talked to the Farm Ad- 

 viser?" he asked Smith. 



"No, I don't want to bother him with 

 my troubles. How could he help?" 



"Well, he might suggest a way out." 



30 



It wasn't a very happy Chirstmas at 

 Adam Smith's house that year. Carrie 

 was sick, and Adam hesitated to take his 

 troubles to anyone. 



On the afternoon of March 1 1 th, the 

 wind was from the northeast, and a wet 

 snow began to fall. The mercury dropped. 

 Snow plows patrolled the highways. 

 By ten o'clock in the evening the wind 

 had switched to the north, and drifts 

 were piling high. 



Smith heard a knock. He opened the 

 door, and Andy Oleson, county farm 

 adviser, entered. His trousers were wet 

 and frozen, his feet were numb, and his 

 ears were white. Adam helped Andy 

 remove his coat, packed his frosted feet in 

 a tub of snow, and held snow to his 

 ears until the color returned. Then he 

 made a pot of coffee. 



The two men talked until after mid- 

 night, and Adam explained his predica- 

 ment to Andy. Then he lighted the 

 lantern and put on his wraps. 



"Goin' to the barn," he said as he 

 stepped out of the door. 



Andy pulled a little closer to the fire, 

 filled his pipe again, and sat thinking. 

 Adam's story worried him, yet he realized 

 that the farmer's troubles were about the 

 same as were being experienced by hun- 

 dreds of others. 



On May 3rd Adam received a letter 

 from Andy, with which was enclosed a 

 circular telling about the appointment by 

 the Governor of the State of a farm debt 

 adjustment committee. Adam read the 

 circular thoroughly, and decided to go to 

 the Committee with his problem. 



In the meantime, the chairman of the 



county committee called the group to- 

 gether for its first meeting, and explained 

 the purpose of the work. 



"You men have been given a heavy 

 responsibility," he said. "The Governor 

 has apjxjinted V0u to serve on a county 

 debt conciliation committee. Whatever 

 work you do will be done voluntarily. 

 B. W. DeBord is here today and will 

 tell us about our work." 



State FDA Supervisor DeBord then 

 explained the functions of the Farm Debt 

 Adjustment Committee. "Personnel ap- 

 pointments to the Committee are non- 

 political," he said. "You men have been 

 appointed because you are open-minded, 

 impartial, and public-spirited. As you 

 know, many farmers are in danger of 

 losing their farms. 



"The Purpose of the Farm Debt 

 Adjustment program is to save farms 

 and farm homes from foreclosure," De- 

 Bord continued. "You men were selected 

 to serve both creditors and debtors. A 

 banker, a grocer, a lawyer, and two 

 farmers are on this committee. -Some 

 committees may have a membership of 

 a postmaster, an insurance man, a dairy 

 farmer, a grain farmer, or representatives 

 of various other types of business. 



"You are broad-minded men, and we 

 believe you will sacrifice to aid your 

 neighbors. You will meet here regularly 

 with debtors and creditors, and give 

 friendly counsel in an effort to solve debt 

 problems by aquitable adjustment. You 

 must be fair. You have no legal author- 

 ity, but your recommendations will save 

 farm homes and assist creditors." 



Thus a county Farm Debt Adjust- 



1 A. A. RECORD 





