The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1920-06-03
BILL FOR FARMER MAT BE
PASSED
CONTINUED from page Five

D
Personally he has very little n any.
thing 20 say about the price. n he
seeks 70 associate himself with his
neighbors for the purpose Of collective
~ negotiating for fair price he II
threatened with prosecution. Many OF
the corporations with which he Is COM
PEELED 70 deal are each composed OF
from 10000 to 10000 members These
members collectively do business rs
one person. The officers Of the cor
poration act as agents Of these mem
bers. This hill, n II becomes n law,
will allow farmers to form like as
sociations. the officers OF which will
act as agents for their members.
Not Class Legislation.
The committee also says that while
| this bill confers on farmers certain
privileges. II cannot properly he said
10 he class legislation. says the com
mittee. business corporations have
under existing law all the powers and
privileges sought 10 be conferred on
farm organizations nv this hill. In.
stead Of granting class privilege. II
aims 10 equallze existing privileges by
changing the law applicable 10 the or
binary business corporations so the
farmers can take advantage Of II. In
stead OF granting 10 farmers n special
privilege. II aims 20 take from the
business corporations n special priv
ilege by comforting a like privilege on
farm organizations.
New York. Pennsylvania. Illinois.
Wisconsin. Minnesota and a number
Of other states have granted the right
to form associations such as those
contemplated In this bill. But these
states cannot confer any right upon
thei- organizations TO engage In In
terstate or foreign commerce. This
bill Is designed TO grant that right.
Our New Merchant Marine.
May first the shipping board fleet
consisted Of 1850 vessels. OF which
1852 vessels were steel cargo steam.
ers. In addition. there were building
or under contract 400 steamers.
The board has established 131 regu.
lar shipping lines connecting American
ports with practically all the primary
and many OF the secondary markets OF
the world. These routes employ 5is
steamers Of practically 4.000.OO0 tons
or about half the feet the other half
being in full cargo tramping and mis-
cellaneous services. Among the latter
the government now has Its own coast
ing fleets on the China coast main
tanning feeder and distributlve serv-
Ices. baslng on Shanghai and Hong
Kong. IL has a regular line or refrig-
orator steamers running between Ar
gentine and Europe carrying the frog
en- beef produced by American pack
ing houses at Montevldeo and Buenos
Aires. II has regular line between
Manila and Europe carrying the hemp
OF our Philippine possessions to the
markets OF the world.
II has its own direct saillngs be-
tween the Orient and Europe intended
primarily for the benefit Of the Ameri-
can merchants out In the Orient 50
that they will not be dependent upon
the foreign flag steamers handled In
the interest of their competitors. II
has its own line between Europe on
the one hand and Cuba, Mexico and
the West Indies. including the Virgin
Island possessions, and II has estab-
lished a "rOund the world" service.
starting on the Pacific coast via the
Orient, Singapore. India, Suez canal.
oil xFla A
Atlantic coast. Last. but by no means
least. II has finally made a reality OF
a fast American flag passenger serv-
ice between the United States and the
east coast OF South America.
Carried Out by Private Firing
All Of these operations were carried
out through private American shipping
concerns acting as agents for the [
board. There are about 1e0 such
agents. and while many OF the organ |
lzations are necessarily young they
have shown themselves 10 be efficient
and adaptable. with a quick and firm
grasp OF the problems connected with
trading.
The board. recognizing and concur
ring I'm the almost unanimous senti- |
ment of the country In favor OF ulti- |
mate private ownership and operation, |
this being also reflected by the trend |
Of pending legislation. recently adopt |
ed fundamental change In its rela- |
ton with the shipping concerns act |
Ing as agents or operators OF shipping |
board steamers. This was done by |
means OF new managing agency |
whereby the shipping con-
rern acting as managing agent under
takes 10 operate the vessel TO all In |
tents and purposes as owner receiv-
ing as compensation a portion OF the |
net earnings obtained. This IL ex-
pected not only TO prove an added IN
,entive for efficient operation, but
even more important, II duplicates as
nearly as possible the condition OF
private ownership and operation, In
,reasing the agents initiative, re-
and confidence In meet
ng the situations which would con-
front him as an owner.
While this plan affords a flexible
md commercial service for the bene-
II OF exporters using shipping board
steamers. II Is obviously necessary 10
lreyent destructive competition be-