Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-09
UNION OF WIDE SCOPE
What the international Cham
Der of Agriculture Is. !.
FIRST PROPOSED IN 1896
Americans Plan Backed by King Of
Italy.
OUR PUBLICATIONS PRAISED
Hostility by Some Deputies of No
Avail-What Diplo-
mat Says
OUR PUBLICATIONS PRAISED

Not many days before Congress adjourn
ed an appropriation of $1,000 was passed by
both houses to pay for the expenses of
maintaining an international chamber of
agriculture in Rome and in which will par
ticfpate a number of the great nations. AL
most everybody knows how, on May o of
last year, delegates from number of
countries gathered in response to the invi-
tation of the Italian government, which
was sent upon the initiative of King Victor
Emmanuel. 1t will also be recalled that
the king. in his communication to Premier
Gtolitti, setting forth the plans Of this then
proposed conference, gave all the credit
for the idea to Mr. David Lubin Califor-
MAN of note. 1t is interesting, however, to
know what diplomat has to say apropos
OF this chamber of agriculture.
Proposed Years Ago.
''The idea of having a number of expert
agriculturists from several nations get to-
gether and form a sort of association Is
not new. 1t was first publicly expressed
at Budapest ten years ago, and was then
the growth of thirteen years of thought and
work Mr.. Lubn spoke at Vienna some
time after he had brought the plans to the
attention of the king early in 1905 He out
lined the history of his idea and told of his
efforts to secure protection for American
agricultural products by bounty on ex-
ports of the same
When the invitation was received in the
United States a number of different organi-
cations at once approved it. Prominent
among these were the American Federation
of Labor and the National Allied Agricul-
tural Association of America. These two
organizations alone represent 100000 gen.
erai Wage-earners.
Presidents Approval.
Letters of approval, therefore. were at
their individual suggestion to make to the
executive. Each organization stood, prin-
cpally, for the interests it represented. The
American Federation of Labor suggested
several we'll known labor leaders: the other
suggested an expert farmer and one ranch
man. But the President, on the other hand,
decided to send Mr. Henry White, now
American ambassador at Rome, and Mr..
Albert f. Woods, vegetable pathologist of
the Department of Agriculture. In this
manner, both the agricultural and the con-
ferential fields We're well covered. Later
it decided that each country send
a, number of delegates from agricultural
associations
1T is needless to say" continued the
diplomat, that the plan was praised and
attacked by the Italian statesmen, the
press and the people in general. Several
tits occurred at the chamber of deputies
at the time, when some of the members
stood on the floor, some waxing eloquent in,
caustically criticising the whole scheme as
being ill-advised and inadequate to combat
the drawbacks from which Italian agri-
culture suffers.
What the King Says.
1.-THE king in his letter stated, In part:
More solidarity among agriculturists is
needed. For this reason an international
institution. absolutely unpolitical In it's
aims, which would have before it the con-
ditions of agriculture in the different coun-
tries of the world which would notify
periodically the quantity and the quality
of the crops In hand, to facilitate
the production of such crops and render
less costly and more rapid the trade in
same and facilitate the attainment of a
more favorable settlement of prices, would
be most highly beneficial. This institution
acting in unison with the various national
associations already constituted for SINH
lar purposes would also furnish reliable
information as to the demand and supply
of agricultural labor in various parts of the
world, so as to provide emigrants with a
safe and useful guide; 1t would promote
those agreements necessary for collective
defense against diseases of plants and do
nestle animals which cannot be success
fully. fought by means of partial action;
and, lastly, 1T would exercise a timely in
fuence on the development of societies for
rural cooperation, for agricultural inSur-
ance and for agrarian credit
''The American Department of Agricul-
ture. and especially its publications, were
praised by several deputies, chief among
them Signor Ferraris who declared that
the world is debtor to the department for a.
rich treasure of information and observa-
tons Special mention made of the
decennial agricultural census. He added
that these international bureaus devoid of
political significance, are great things, such
as, for instance, the Universal Postal
Union, which was suggested by Germany
Functions of the Chamber.
1.-The first functions, Signor Ferraris, who
himself is an authority on agriculture
states, of this national institution for the
furtherance of agriculture could be devel-
oped in the following manner:
"Statisticai-in gathering information as
to prices, production. transportation and
commerce of agricultural products.
"Economic-as concerns property condi-
tons, agricultural and mortgage credit, CO.
operation. tariffs and transportation
misunderstanding the progress of
scientific agriculture. agricultural chemis-
try and agricultural machinery.
LegislatiVe-concernfng agrarian legisla-
ton In the various countries
"Socfal-as regards emigration wages
conditions of living, hygiene and provident
and beneficent institutions for peasants and
agricultural laborers.
"Commercial-as a bureau OF Information
for producers and consumers of the whole
world.
TT has often been argued" stated the
diplomat "as to whether there is really
need of agriculturists organizing to defend
themselves against the associated workmen
on the one hand and the monopolizing cap
italists on the other.
Agriculture Must Organize.
I'm this respect can say that agriculture
must organize. Not only must this be done
for locality. but for all localities And
all of these organizations must he unified In
federation which shall guide and direct
for without this central body the isolated
unions would be powerless. This, however
is not the whole of the matter, for the price
OF agricultural products is not alone deter
mined by local and national conditions. but
also and pre-eminentiy by internarona con-
ditions. And 1t is exactly this International
field which regulates and Axes the prices of
farming products that today Is taken care
Of by commerce and finance to the exclu-
sion of the rightful party in interest-the
farmer