Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-19
BOARD DEALS FIRST
| WITH FARM UNIONS
Campaign of Education Is
i Intended to Urge Organ
izati0n.
Nv tbs Associated Press.

BY tbs Associated Press.
Laying the ground work for their
titanic task Of organizing American
agriculture, the Federal Farm Board Is
moving deliberately, as 1t promised.
Using the press as medium of con-
tact with the farmers and the public
generally, the board has broadcast its
policies as they have been determined
around the table presided over by Alex
ander Legge, Chicago business man, Of
a firm but good natured disposition.
Chairman Legge thus has launched a
campaign of education, and Joined by
Vice Chairman Stone has made its
high point clear with an appeal to the
farmers to organize into cooperative
marketing associations, on a broad and
more intensive scale than ever before.
In a statement made public late yes
terday, Chairman Legge and Vice
Chairman Stone called attention that
the board was directed under the recent
farm relief act to do its relief work
through the cooperative marketing
agencies.
Deals With Associations.
The board has concluded after several
days study Of the law that its work is
confined almost entirely to contact with
the cooperative marketing associations.
Therefore the members have decided
individual appeals will have to be passed
over while the board directs its energies
to relations with organized farmers.
Chris l.. Christensen, secretary of the
board and a leader in the cooperative
marketing movement, estimates that
only about one-thrd of the 100000
farmers of America are now organized.
Just how the board will attempt to
encourage efforts to mobilize the farm
ers into marketing groups is indefinite.
Chairman Legge hopes that the public
anpeaI will help the cause Pending a
lre3ction to this appeal no decision has
been reached by the board on the ex-
tent Of the national organization to be
required.
legislation to encourage cooperative
marketing organizations was embodied
in the Capper-Volstead act OF 1923. but
Christensen said the associations must
organize under State laws. This con-
fined the associations for the most part
to State groups.
Virtually every commodity is now or
ganized for marketing purposes, but
fhe farm board wants the organizations
10 be more inclusive.
"One of our greatest problems" de-
clared Mr.. Stone. "is to make the farm
.er cooperative minded We want him
tc organize"
Chairman Legge declared the farm
relief act "is essentially to assist CO.
operative producer-owned agricultural
associations" He explained that the
cooperative associations must be owned
end controlled by the producers Of the
commodity involved.
Board Besieged by Job Seekers.
Meanwhile. the veritable army of Job
hunters and the host of those who
would dip into the S5o0.000,000 loan
fund provided By Congress have
knocked In vain at the board room
doors, while the members. in their shirt
sleeves. have been getting acquainted
and getting started.
Only one man has been hired by
the board-Mr, Christensen, co-opera-
tive marketing expert of the Depart
ment of Agriculture, who will serve as
the secretary. Christensen, too mas
gone behind the closed doors with the
board, leaving to the outer guard OF
stenographers drafted from the De-
partnent of Agriculture the heavy task
of dealing with the scores OF job seek:
ers So far. the soft spoken words OF
Miss Pauline Puhr. South Dakota girl
and Department Of Agriculture worker
have turned aside the hosts,
Carl williams of Oklahoma, the cot
ton representative and veteran news
PAPER man. has been the intermediary
between the board and the press. 1t
was Mr. Williams who intervened,
therefore, when the good-natured chair
man, who has been III the habit OF
avoiding personal publicity, raised an
outcry against the headlines which APP
reared on some of the Farm Board
! stories Mr. Williams explained that
each newspaper had its own headline
writer's, that the men who wrote the
stories didn't write the heads and that
| this accounted for the occasional Tari-
arce.
3 let Chris Do It."
That satisfied Mr.. Legge, whose sense |
! of humor has prevailed throughout the |
early board sessions to preserve good
feeling. The chairman Is credited with !
the slogan, Let Chris Do Il" So fire.
! ouently we're routine problems turned |
! over to Secretary Christensen, in the |
! early sessions, that Legge was prompted |
to suggest in ocular mood. Let
! problems came along.
James C. Stone of Kentucky the vice |
! chairman and representative of the |
! tobacco industry, had a tendency to |
! get in his share of toshing at the ex-
pense of his colleagues in their mo-
! nents of relaxation at the start. but
| he has been Silenced. The other mem |
bers of the board now refer to Mr..
! Stone as the best dressed man In
! agriculture.
! All of them veterans of farm life, |
! the board members are beginning to
show some uneasiness about the lux
uriousness of the sumptuous hotel
! quarters which have been placed tenn
| porarily at their disposal and they are
| giving serious thought to finding per-
! t,1onpyt moro hllSineSS.like Offices.
| Meanwhile, they are pursuing their
study of the agricultural marketing act,
| which gives them their authority. and
some problems thus raised are already
| before the Attorney General for con-
! sideration.