230 
The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
February  10,  192 
PUBLISHER’S  DESK 
All  letters  to  Publisher’s  Desk  depart¬ 
ment  must  be  signed  with  writer’s  full 
name  and  address  given.  Many  inquiries 
are  answered  by  mail  instead  of  printing 
inquiry  and  answer,  hence  unsigned  let¬ 
ters  receive  no  consideration. 
The  Land  Bank  of  the  State  of  New 
York  held  its  annual  meeting  at  the  of¬ 
fices  of  the  bank,  220  Broadway,  New 
York  City,  on  Friday,  January  26.  This 
institution  is  now  getting  under  way  in 
good  shape.  It  was  beginning  to  make 
progress  when  the  World  War  stopped 
the  stile  of  bonds  at  a  rate  that  would 
make  money  practical  for  farm  and  home 
mortgages,  largely  because  the  bonds  are 
not  exempt  from  Federal  taxation.  The 
conservative  management  of  the  bank 
ami  1T<  high  class  of  the  securities  have 
again  brought  a  market  for  the  bonds  at 
favorable  rates.  The  State  Controller 
lots  ,il ready  taken  two  issues  at  4 y%  per 
cent  and  has  already  subscribed  for  a 
half  million  of  a  new  issue.  The  board 
authorized  an  issue  of  .$2, 500,000  new’ 
bonds.  The  collateral  behind  these  bonds 
is  the  homes  and  the  farms  which  receive 
mortgage  money  through  the  saving  and 
loan  associations  of  the  State.  These 
mortgages  are  amortized  so  that  a  small 
payment  is  made  annually,  making  the 
security  safer  and  better  with  each  suc¬ 
ceeding  year.  No  better  security  exists 
any  where. 
In  some  sections  farm  loans  are  made 
regularly  and  quite  extensively,  but  the 
farm  possibilities  have  not  been  fully  de¬ 
veloped.  as  we  believe  they  will  be  in  the 
future.  The  saving  and  loan  system  in 
New  York  State  is  the  best  example  of 
co-operative  institution  anywhere  in  the 
world.  It  is  the  pure  article.  It  is  based 
on  local  independent  owned  and  operated 
local  incorporated  associations.  The 
members  control  and  direct  it  from  start 
to  finish.  The  service  of  officers  are  sub¬ 
stantially  gratuitous.  It  is  all  under 
iState  inspection,  and  every  detail  is  avail¬ 
able  and  known  to  every  member. 
Unclosed  clipping  is  from  the  Boston 
Globe.  You  may  know  all  this,  yet  at 
the  same  time  it  may  be  of  interest.  One 
great  point  of  interest  about  this  clip¬ 
ping  is  the  fact  that  you  have  repeatedly 
warned  your  readers,  even  at  the  risk  of 
“making'  some  of  them  sick,”  as  one  cor¬ 
respondent  has  seen  fit  to  put  it.  Some¬ 
thing  wrong  when  the  originator  gets 
sick.  It  looks  to  me  like  the  old,  old 
story  of  the  “turning  of  the  worm.” 
Some,  yes,  many,  of  your  readers  will 
doubtless  give  you  thanks  for  your  timely 
warnings.  H.  V.  P. 
Massachusetts. 
It  is  announced  that  L.  K.  Steel  has 
retired  from  the  various  organizations 
bearing  his  name  and  promoted  by  him. 
The  reason  given  is  “ill  health.”  The 
Steel  enterprises  have  been  afflicted  with, 
financial  ill  health  from  the  start.  The 
statement  published  in  connection  with 
Mr.  Steel’s  retirement  says  .$26,000,000 
has  been  invested  in  the  stocks  of  the 
Steel  enterprises.  Mr.  Steel’s  successor 
will  have  a  herculean  task  to  bring  or¬ 
der  out  of  the  riot  of  stock-selling  which 
has  been  going  on  should  he  undertake  to 
establish  the  projects  on  a  sound  basis. 
1  sent  $5  to  National  Food  Products 
Company,  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  Dept.  3. 
It  is  over  three  weeks,  and  I  sent  them 
two  letters  since,  and  cannot  get  the  food 
or  an  answer  from  them.  I  hope  you 
can  help  me  or  warn  other  people  not  to 
deal  with  them.  If  you  can  help  me  I 
will  pay  for  trouble.  c.  T. 
Maryland. 
In  reply  to  our  inquiry  we  are  advised 
that  it  is  only  one  of  many,  and  that  the 
company  has  gone  without  leaving  a  for¬ 
warding  address.  It  has  been  impossible 
to  locate  them.  Evidently  they  have 
reaped  a  nice  harvest  of  five-doll  ar  bills. 
This  record  will  serve  as  sufficient  warn¬ 
ing  if  operations  are  started  from  other 
points. 
Enclosed  find  slip  I  cut  from  Providence 
Journal  regarding  Dr.  Cook  and  the 
Petroleum  Producers'  Association,  Fort 
Worth,  Tex.  Thinking  it  might  be  of 
benefit  to  some  readers  of  Publisher’s 
Desk,  I  am  sending  it  to  you.  J.  e.  w. 
Rhode  Island. 
Dr.  Cook,  who  claimed  to  have  dis¬ 
covered  the  North  role.  has  himself  been 
discovered  by  a  vigilance  committee  at 
Houston.-  Tex.  Dr.  Cook  has  apparently 
conceived  the  idea  of  merging  all  the  de¬ 
funct  oil  companies  he  could  get  hold  of 
under  the  name  of  Petroleum  Producers’ 
Association.  The  principal  asset  of  the 
various  oil  concerns  is  the  lists  of  stock¬ 
holders  who  lost  their  money  in  the 
stocks  of  the  various  wildcat  oil  schemes. 
All  promoters  figure  that  it  is  easier  to 
get  more  money  out  of  a  man  or  woman 
who  has  lost  their  money  in  a  venture 
than  to  interest  an  entirely  new  pros¬ 
pect.  Most  people  will  gamble  again  in 
the  hope  of  recovering  what  is  lost.  And 
this  is  where  the  list  of  stockholders  be¬ 
comes  valuable  to  Dr.  Cook  and  other 
get-rich-quick  operators.  It  is  reported 
that  the  notorious  S.  E.  J.  Cox  has 
joined  Dr.  Cook  in  this  latest  undertak¬ 
ing.  Cox  has  a  criminal  record.  Cook 
and  Cox  make  a  strong  team.  Beware 
of  them  and  their  Petroleum  Producers’ 
Association. 
I  have  not  heard  anything  from  the 
Boston  Mail  Order  House,  Boston,  Mass. 
New  York.  w.  B. 
We  can  get  no  response  from  the  Bos¬ 
ton  Mail  Order  House,  and  can  only  sug¬ 
gest  that  those  who  have  sent  money  to 
the  house  for  shoes,  and  have  not  re¬ 
ceived  the  goods,  complain  to  the  Post 
Office  Department,  Washington,  I).  C. 
The  R.  N.-Y.  refused  this  advertising 
for  years. 
Would  you  examine  the  inclosed  litera¬ 
ture,  which  was  sent  to  me  without  in¬ 
quiry  of  any  kind?  Since  it  falls  in  with 
my  plans  extremely  well,  I  should  like  to 
take  up  the  proposition  if  these  people 
are  reliable  in  every  respect.  If  they  fail 
in  any  particular  it  might  mean  a  serious 
loss  to  me.  either  in  reputation  or  money, 
for  I  should  feel  obliged  to  make  good  any 
default  to  my  customers.  They  offer  me 
2  cents  a  chick,  or  $8  per  1.000  as  profit. 
Is  this  enough?  Could  I  afford  to  adver¬ 
tise  and  sell  for  that  amount?  Under  this 
offer,  would  you  accept  my  advertising 
for  your  paper?  A.  D.  B. 
New  York. 
We  wrote  the  subscriber  we  could  not 
accept  his  advertising  for  the  columns  of 
The  R.  N.-Yr.  if  he  took  up  this  proposi¬ 
tion.  The  Continental  Sales  Company, 
Springfield,  ().,  is  a  reliable  organization, 
conducting  a  hatchery,  and  establishing 
agencies  to  sell  the  chicks.  The  local 
agents  are  submitted  forms  or  samples 
of  advertisements  which  would  lead  the 
reader  to  expect  that  the  agent  of  the 
Continental  Sales  Company  had  a  hatch¬ 
ery  of  his  own,  and  that  the  chicks  would 
be  shipped  from  his  postoffice.  This  is  a 
deception  on  the  buyer.  A  deception  can 
sometimes  be  accomplished  as  effectively 
by  omission  as  by  commission ! 
I  am  writing  you  regarding  two  200- 
egg  incubators,  purchased  last  January 
from  the  Porter  Incubator  Company, 
Blair,  Neb.  The  machines  were  very  unsat¬ 
isfactory,  and  we  practically  wasted  the 
season,  as  well  as  our  eggs.  We  found  the 
temperature  in  the  egg  chamber  varied 
three  degrees  in  different  parts,  causing 
many  of  the  chicks  to  die  in  the  shell, 
and  those  which  did  hatch  were  a  day  or 
more  late  and  weaklings.  It  was  not  the 
fault  of  our  eggs,  as  they  hatched  in 
other  makes  of  machines.  We  wrote  the 
Porter  company  May  6,  asking  them  to 
let  us  return  the  incubators  or  make 
some  satisfactory  adjustment.  To  date 
there  has  been  nothing  done,  although 
these  machines  were  'bought  on  an  “iron¬ 
clad  guarantee.”  A.  M.  A. 
New  Jersey. 
We  have  corresponded  with  the  Porter 
Incubator  Company  in  the  case,  but  with¬ 
out  result.  Our  last  letter  remains  un¬ 
answered.  When  an  incubator  manufac¬ 
turer  is  not  disposed  to  live  up  to  the 
guarantee  under  which  it  sold  there  are 
any  number  of  ways  to  “side-step”  it. 
The  claims  made  by  the  Porter  Incubator 
Company  are  loud  and  long,  and  that 
“ironclad  guarantee”  carries  the  impres¬ 
sion  that  it  is  unbreakable  and  in  a  class 
superior  to  ordinary  guarantees.  The 
function  of  this  guarantee  seems  to  be  to 
sell  incubators  rather  than  the  protection 
of  purchasers.  The  Rtral  New-Yorker 
refused  Porter  Incubator  Company  ad- 
vertising,  before  this  complaint  was  re¬ 
ceived.  on  the  grounds  that  the  company 
had  no  established  responsibility,  and  that 
the  claims  made  for  the  incubator  were 
extravagant. 
Mrs.  Grieve  :  “Tobias,  I  found  this 
letter  I  gave  you  to  post  a  month  ago  in 
your  brown  overcoat  pocket.”  Mr.  Grieve : 
“I  remember.  I  took  off  that  overcoat  at 
the  time  to  enable  you  to  sew  on  a  but-  j 
ton.  and  it  isn’t  sewn  on  yet.” — Credit 
Lost. 
Manufactured — Not  Assembled! 
THE  Speed  Wagon  is  a  Reo  creation,  and  every  major 
unit  is  a  Reo  product — designed  and  manufactured  in 
the  big  Reo  shops. 
Engine,  clutch,  transmission,  universal  joints,  propeller 
shaft,  rear  axle, — the  whole  power  line, — was  planned  as 
an  entirety.  Every  unit  functions  harmoniously  with 
its  neighbor. 
The  inner-frame  mounting  of  power  units,  the  amidship 
location  of  transmission,  the  equitable  balancing  of 
weight  over  the  four  wheels,  —  these  are  unusual  prac¬ 
tices,  and  mean  a  lot  to  the  truck  owner.  Reo  can  manu¬ 
facture  trucks  this  way  because  all  the  facilities  are 
self-contained. 
Physically  and  financially,  Reo  is  solidly  established.  No 
Speed  W  agon,  or  other  Reo  product,  will  ever  be  orphaned! 
The  Speed  Wagon  represents  the  lowest  cost  of  highway 
freightage,  regardless  of  the  price  or  capacity  of  the 
vehicle  with  which  it  may  be  compared.  Its  capacity 
is  from  500  to  2500  pounds.  More  than  75,000  are  in 
service.  Chassis  price,  $  1185.  Twelve  standard  bodies. 
REO  MOTOR  CAR  COMPANY,  LANSING,  MICHIGAN 
KITSELMAN  FENCE 
“I  Saved  $28.40,”  says  I.  D.  Wasson, 
Orbisonia,  Pa.  You,  too,  can  save 
We  Pay  the  Freight.  Write  for  Free 
Catalog  of  Farm,  Poultry,  Lawn  Fence. 
KITSELMAN  BROS.  Dept.  230 M UNCI E,  INO. 
When  you  write  advertisers  mention 
The  Rural  New-Yorker  and  you’ll  get 
a  quick  reply  and  a  “square  deal.”  See 
guarantee  editorial  page.  : 
onFencing,  Gates,  Posts,  Paint,  Roofing 
(14)#^v  I’ve  knocked  the  bottom  out  of  prices. 
I’m  breaking  all  records  this  year  for 
overwhelming  values.  My  F  ACTOR  Y 
PRICES,  FREIGHT  PREPAID, 
means  enormous  savings  for  you. 
Quality,  as  always,  the  best  in  the 
world,  backed  by  my  ironclad 
GUARANTEE. 
Direct  from  Factory 
FREIGHT  PREPAID 
Yes,  I  pay  the  freight.  You  pay 
only  factory  prices — I  ship  di¬ 
rect  from  my  S  big  factories 
FREE 
Saved  $58.43 
“Received  my  order  of  fence 
promptly;  am  certainly  well 
pleased  with  it.  You  saved 
me  lO&c  per  rod  over  local 
prices  on  woven  Hog  Fence 
and  76c  per  spool  on  barb  wire 
making $58.43  saving  in  all.” 
E.  D.  MATHENY, 
Okolona,  Miss. 
Saved  $50 
“The  Wearbest  Paint  is  more 
than  satisfactory.  I  saved  at 
least  $60.00  in  cost.” 
H.  O.  PEARCE. 
Brazil,  Ind. 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  Adrian, 
Mich.,  and  Memphis, rTenn., 
also  from  warehouses  at 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and 
Davenport,  Iowa. 
My  big  new 
BARGAIN 
BOOK  is  ready.  Hundreds  of  styles  of  Brown’s  Double 
Galvanized,  Basic  Open  Hearth  Wire  Fence  and  Double 
Galvanized  Gates.  Wonderful  bargains  in  Steel  Post3;  Barb 
Wire;  Asphalt  RooBng;  Wear  Best  Paints.  Don’t  miss  these  amazing 
cut-prices.  Send  postcard  or  letter  for  new  BARGAIN  BOOK  today. 
JIM  BROWN,  President. 
THE  BROWN  FENCE  &  WIRE  CO.,  Dept.  4H .Cleveland,  Ohio 
