Gloucester County Democrat., 1909-04-08
new YORK PATRONS,
They Are Now $4,000 Strong
and Still Growing.

The Annual Meeting of the Empire
State Grange Was a RusinessIike
Convocation Of the Representatives
of the Farmers.
The recent meeting of the New York
state grange was the largest and in
many respects the most important
meeting of New York Patrons that,has
ever been held. 1t was a business
body, and the outcome of its delibera-
tions was such as to give it still great
er prestige in the state in respect to all
public questions involving the inter
ests of the farmers, whether members
of the Order or not.
Statistical Report.
The secretary's report showed a net
gain in membership during the year
ending Oct. /, 1908. of 1888. The to-
tai actual membership on that date
was $3.50, and there were new
oranges not reported since Oct 1 of
44S, making the actual membership to
Jan. 1, 1909, SO, 3,267. The total number
of oranges in the state is over 700.
The secretary's Office has received dur
ing the year $24,679.78.
According to the treasurer's report,
there was on hand one year ago $16,-
OSS.52, and total receipts from the sec
retary's Office during the year were
$2O,O36.37, making the total years re-
sources $36, 124.S9 Expenses amount
ing to $4,000 have been paid during
the year. The surplus funds in the
bank are deposited in seven savings
institutions and trust companies.
An Important Committee.
One of the most important commit
tees of the state grange meeting al
ways is that on legislation. About
forty resolutions were referred to this
committee this year for consideration.
For the information of those who do
not understand the workings of the
there are about thirty different COM
mittees appointed by the state master.
Every delegate is on one or more COM
mittees Resolutions are read when pre-
sented and then referred without dis
cussion to the appropriate committees,
who meet and consider and give hear
ings on the matters that are before
them. When their work is completed
the chairman reports back to the ses-
sion the results of their conferences,
and then the grange as a body ap-
proves or disapproves Of the report.
Legislation Approved.
Among the more important matters
presented by this committee and op-
proved by the delegates were the fol-
lowing:
That the legislative committee endeav-
or to secure the passage of a bill Great
ing a legal department under the control
of the committee of agriculture for the
enforcement of laws on our statute books
appertaining to the department of agri-
culture; that we request the legislature
to enact such laws as will enable the
committee of agriculture to carry on such
investigation as will furnish definite in
formation regarding the economies OF the
milk business, including the production,
handling and sale of milk, and inaugu-
rate such work as will protect consum-
ers and encourage those who are produc-
ing sand handling milk in a creditable
W
disease in domestic animals asking that
the owners of diseased cattle shall have
the right to secure veterinary at his
own expense to act with the commission
er's veterinary. and in case of Disagree
ment the two veterinaries shall secure
the third disinterested veterinary at the
expense of the state, and his decision Of
the majority of said veterinaries shall be
final and no animal shall be destroyed
by the commissioner or by his order on
the ground that 1t is diseased animal
unless first examined as provided in this
section.
That the present law requiring the
standard apple barrel to have a seven
teen and a half inch head be repealed
and that sixteen and half inches be
made the standard; that the grange go
on record as favoring poll taxes and the
re-enactment of the poll tax law; that all
telephone and telegraph lines be placed
under the public utilities commission and
that telephone lines be required to make
cient interchange of communication at a
fair and equitable rate; that the state
legislature be asked to pass amend
ment to the excise law providing that
any person who holds license to sell in
toxicating liquors and who is convicted
of violating such law shall forfeit his IL
cense and that no license shall thereafter
Der Of his or her family or to any person
in his or her employ; that any person
found hunting or fishing upon the prop
erty of another without written consent
shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor
and subject to a fine of not less than $25;
that the ways and means committee of
congress be requested to make no change
in the agricultural schedule unless it can
be shown that such change will be di-
rect benefit to farmers; that the class of
hotels known as road houses which have
sprung up under the Raines law must
gain the written consent of the majority
of the property owners living within a
radius of one mile of their proposed To-
cation before they can be so located;
that we favor a primary election law.
The above will serve to give the
reader an idea Of what the state
grange believes is for the farmers in
terest. But this was the work Of only
one of the many committees.