Evening star., 1930-10-26
LEGGE PENS SHORT
REPLY TO KANSAN
Board Cannot Lend Support
to Competitive organiza-
tions, He Writes Mercer.

The conflict between representatives
Of commission merchants and the Fed
eral Farm Board f1ared up anew to-
day when Alexander Legge, chairman of
the Federal Farm Board, made public
Q letter to ]. H. Mercer of the Kansas
Live Stock Association, in which he
made 1t plain that I'VE haven't any
quarrel with the commission merchants
and don't want to have any, but the
agricultural marketing act provides
chat we should work with and through
Ao-operative organizations, producer
Awned and producer controlled"
In his usual terse, direct manner,
Mr.. Legge told MIR. Mercer, who had
criticized the boards activities with
respect to live stock, that while some
Of the commission merchants that you
refer to probably have live stock
ranches of their own, 1t is not as pro-
ducers, but as dealers in the COM
modify that you insist that they be
recognized"
TO a criticism of the boards failure
to extend drought relief, Mr.. Legge said
that I'VE tried our best to make 1t clear
that the farm board had no authority
TO undertake relief operations as such"
Reference to Program.
He referred to the program Of organi-
Hation adopted by the majority OF live
stock producers throughout the coun-
try and to the availability OF money
through the national live stock organl-
Eation, and said:
"Ne are enjoined not to encourage
composition among the co-operatives
themselves and, obviously, we cannot
lend support to a lot of different or
ranizations which will use the funds
to fRft each other simply because OF
differences of opinion among them as to
iust what the national set-up should
be. We have insisted at ALI times that
the national Set-up should be open TO
ali who wished to join on exactly the
same basis, and that Is our position To-
day; and it is my belief that II organ
izations like yours are willing to come
along with the program adopted by the
msiority. that a little time and expert
ence would work out whatever changes
were necessary to make the set-up most
ancient. It is hardly reasonable TO ex-
Tect that every contingency can be met
In advance. and 1t Is probable that any
rational organization of co-operatives
will require modification and changes
from time to time in order to meet All
the conditions that will have to be met.
ReuIy on Lamb Market.
Mr.. Mercer had accused the board OF
Aoinr nothing when a surplus OF lamps
snpearsd on the market affecting the
price. To this criticism Mr.. Legge re-
.Tf YOU know Of any industry which
produces blindly, without any reference
TO the potential market demand, tnay
has been able to do so for any length
Of time, I would be glad to have the
information. Better adjustment OF
s,IY,Dlv 10 the demand Is the keynote
az success In any industry today tnat
a s,coessful. and had the sheep grower
heeded the advice of the Department
of Agriculture, which has been repeat
81 from time to time for severals years
mast, to the effect that production In
the country was increasing at q far
1rsater rate than consuming demand,
"a would not be In the unhappy condi-
tiou he Is in today.
AT am not clear as to what you have
in mind with reference TO stabilization
IN 1--we stock. It Is true that those
sfeeu feeders came to US after they
had o great Big surplus Of fat sheep
ready for market, but what would you
suggest could have been done WITH
fherY,? Sheep cannot be baled like cot
Ton or binned like wheat. I am at
iose 10 know just what it Is you have
"A mind that we might have done
At wish to assure you most positively
thai we have only good will toward the
livestock growers of Kansas. The
only trouble is that the leaders OF the
organisation insist on our doing some
thing differeht from what the majority
Of the cooperative growers In other
States wanted done. Obviously, 1t is
impossible for us to impose your ideas on
the subject on everybody else. Any time
that you are willing to come along
with the program adopted by the ma
jority, as most distinctly 1t Is their
program and not any program Of this
board, we will be glad to extend every
assistance possible"