The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-11-25
ALREADY WORKING FOR US


that the American and State Farm
3 Bureau Federations are already work
3 ing for them.
3 The farm bureau has practically In
5 sured the defeat Of the Ralston-Nolan
: bill which would impose a special
{ per cen tax On all land values
above 500 The American Farm
5 Bureau was represented at the recent
3 industrial tax conference in New York
3 and succeeded in giving 1t what they
/ cali a body blow Every farmer who
joins the farm bureau helps keep up
the fight against this bill.
; The evils surrounding the present
system of grain marketing will be
B eliminated by the farm bureau fed
Grafton. The committee Of II" ap-
; pointed by President Howard is now
! busy and expects to make definite
recommendations after they have
thoroughly studied the problems. The
! livestock marketing committee OF
Is" is engaged in a similar undertake
ing for livestock interests.
{ With the help Of the farm bureaus
and the wool growers associations
the wool growers In every important
wool state in the nation have this year
3 pooled a large portion of their wool.
This wool is now held in warehouses
at various points in the middle west
and east. A national selling agency
is now being developed which will
3 unite all of the state wool pools into
one great national pool and the wool
will be held until a reasonable price
) is obtained. South Dakota has a very
: large wool pool consisting Of more
than a million pounds which is stored
in the national wool warehouse at
B Chicago. There, are thirty million
! pounds of wool in the 1920 clip pooled
by 13 middle west states which will
! be conferred in the national selling
agency.
Z The farm bureaus employed Clifford
Thorne, the ablest attorney in agri-
8 cultural matters in America, to repre-
5 sent the farmers of the United States
8 in hearings regarding the increase in
& freight rates. As a result of the work
\ Of the farm bureaus 1t was proven
; that the railroads were asking for
s increased freight rates on the basis
3 of a property valuation several hun
K dred milton dollars in excess of the
I actual value. The farm bureaus were
3 also able to show that the passenger
3 traffic should bear its ~proportionate
3 part Of the increased cost Of operating
8 the railroads. AS a result the total
3 freight rate increase was very much
8 less than it would have been without
much strong representation. AS the
3 formers pay the greater portion Of the
{ freight bills Of the country, this means
& many millions of dollars to the farm
I ers OF America. The WORK Of the farm
! bureaus OF the railroad rate hearings
alone is worth the total cost of the
3 farm bureau.
4 The farm bureaus have been very
effective in studying the Transports
ton situation. The development Of
; adequate transportation facilities is
3 n OF the most important problems
3 Of the American farmer. The activi-
3 ties Of the farm bureaus have helped
8 greatly in relieving somewhat very
3 serious car shortages and bringing
3 about better distribution Of cars within
{ the past few months. The farm bu-
{ reaus are supporting the project to
open up the st. Lawrence river for
4 deep sea trafic from the Great Lakes
to the Atlantic ocean. This IL the
quickest. cheapest and most effective
means OF relieving our thoroughly In
!. adequate transportation system. Al
: ready the farm bureaus have been able
to ecure substantial relief from car
shortage by bringing about the use
OF the Great Lakes Of a considerable
/; number Of idle boats capnble OF carry
I ing large volumes Of grain.
! The farm bureaus were responsible
for the repeal OF the daylight saving
I law over the presidents veto. A petit
ton Of $4,000 names was sent to con-
I gress from the Iowa farm bureau alone.
I The federation Is supporting the
Capper- Volstead bill to legalize collec-
I tive bargaining by farmers. II 1t is
passed. cooperative farmers organiza-
! lions can continue and develop beyond
/ their present status. II not, II will
+! be possible for every cooperative
! farmers organization to be put out
| of business by legal methods. The
/! good of the farm business depends
I upon the passage of this bill, which
has now passed the house and is out
] of the senate committee. This bill will
| be fought by those who are opposed TO
/; co operation among the farmers. The
; farm bureaus must strongly organize
I in order TO assure its passage.
The farm bureaus will ask
I to grant credits to European countries
SO as to enable them to purchase agri
cultural products in America. This
is very important in order to provide
an outlet for our surplus Of wool, cot