Norwich bulletin., 1922-01-31
WASHINGTON AFFAIRS


before the conference closed, and they
did their best to advance New England's
agricultural interests although it was
evident from the first that delegates from
the south and west would outnumber
eastern men. In many matters there
was a wide divergence of opinion among
the New England delegates but on some
of the principal matters they worked in |
accord and unremittingly. Among them
were rural credits, cooperative buying |
and marketing, although in details there |
was not ALWAYS common accord. An
other thing that was very prominent in |
New England discussions was the alb
soIute need of a get-together on the part |
Of farm bureaus and the grange. Both |
have the same interests, it was urged, |
and unless they work in harmony no |
good can be accomplished, New Hsmp-
shire and Massachusetts, delegates stated |
there was complete harmony in their |
ranks and that Is per cent of their farm
bureau members were also officers in
the grange.
the front in corridor discussions and
elsewhere is the question of grading
farm products. In the west all such
marketable products are graded into
separate classes, such as first, second,
medium, etc, before being put on the
market. The general opinion as ex-
pressed by delegates is that the east, es-
pecially New England, is losing money
and opportunity by not adopting uniform
grading and that If farmers would grade
eggs apples, potatoes, fruit and all 9TH
er farm products, they would receive a
higher market price. The question of
whether or not federal assistance to the
farmer was desirable is another topic on
which the New England delegates are
not in accord. Some believe it the best
thing that can be done to promote agri-
culture and others say frankly they be
lieve federal aid is being greatly over
done now
| The 26 women delegates to the confer
| ence were for the most part assigned to
| committees where woman's work is spe-
cialized, although a number are scat
| tered among the committees on forestry
| and farm homes.
The committee on home economics
| gets the biggest share of the women
delegates, and Mrs. Brakeman of Con-
necticut, one of the active workers here
in the interest of New, England needs,
today talked with your correspondent
about the work of the conference espec-
rally along the line of home economies
| of which she has made a life study.
Mrs. Brakeman was chairman of the
home economics committee Of the ma
| tlonal grange, and She strongly urged
| the teaching of home economics in the
public schools Of the country and she
stands out strongly for the passage OF
the so-called Tess bill which asks con-
sress to aid in that work by suitable APP
preparations. Mrs. Brakeman looks on
this branch of s~hool work as one of the
4I,o
ton can engage in. She said today that
|. the committee to which she is assigned
prepared a resolution which was put be-
fore the conference. Mrs. Brakeman
added that the home economic committee
of the conference is of the opinion that
governors of states should more fully
recognize women from rural districts
and small towns in making up commits
sions committees; or boards where wo-
men are members, instead of giving I'M
due preference to women from cities,
which Mrs. Brakeman states is now the
case.
Although It was dirt farmers "
conference the surroundings were far
cry from rural. The meetings We're
| held in the great gilded ball room Of
one of Washington's most fashionable
hotels; and here the dirt farmers, all
dressed up III MS pest clothes, sat perch
ed on the edge of frail little gold and
crimson plush chairs whose spindle
backs seems ready to bend under the
weight Of their sturdy occupants. The
walls of the ball room were gay with
flags and great crystal chandeliers threw
softened light on the assembly. once,
the evening session had to be abandoned
to give place to a big charity ball at
tended by Washington's gayest social
set.
There was considerable friendly rival
. ry among New England delegates as to
the relative agricultural merits of their
? respective states. Whenever w. ].
: Thompson. master of the Maine state
grange, appeared on the floor wearing a
f suit of Clothes made entirely from
Maine raised wool, he excited the envy
of Walter B. Farmer of New Hamp.
:, shire, who said: Il have a suit at home
made from wool raised in New Hamp.
shire, and it's every bit as good, or ever
t better than the one Thompson is wear
: ing but as Farmer couldn't produce
n the evidence, Thompson carried off th'
+ laurels.
. The Connecticut delegation to tn,
= conference comprised Allen B. Cook
oronoque; Mrs Nellie E. Brakeman
Oronoque: ]. NJ. Whittlesey, Hartford
q state commissioner ANIMALS; Leonard
It H. Healey. Woodstock commissioner o
s agriculture; William Pinney, Suffiefd
n tobacco grower; Mrs. Brakeman was as
e signed to the committee on home econ
i omics, Mr.. Whitlesey to that on legisla
ton and Pinney covers the tobacco in
terests. Other members also have i'm
portant committee assignments.
The true story Of the week in Wash
- !ngton is mostly blizzard" Not sine
e. the famous blizzard of 1899 has such
storm struck bhis ssmi-souAhern city
Is and that much talked of Taft inaugura
Sc ton was a mere squall compared to /
Drifts are piled head high on street an
sidewalk and local newspapers remarke
If that New England seems to hav
= haved to Washington" blizzard in
" city of nearly half a million peopl
y where the winters are usually SO mil
that even snow shovel sleeps in inoc,
Gus deseutude, is something really to
y dreaded. No such things as powerfl
xe snow plows exist here-and the ma
lg who can spare his furnace shovel Ion
enough to put it into service to make
path to his door Is counted as luck
1v Street car service is out of commissio
- thousands of automobiles are stuck ia
- in huge o. along the roadways, ar
= all Washington Is turned topsy-turv.
Us Everybody who walks from place
place soon develops gentle lope th
would do credit to a prize saddle hers
al as they try to keep Indian file throus
ar the unbroken drifts. A tandem of fol-
, big horses hitched to nothing but wi