Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-15
u. S. MUST PUT FARMER
ON FEET, WARNS STONE
Federal Official Tells Radio Forum
Audience That Prosperity
Depends on Growers.

The radio address of Chairman James
G. stone of the Federal Farm Board
broadcast last night in National Radio
Forum, follows:
AS the new chairman of the Federal
Farm Board I appreciate very much
the opportunity afforded me tonight t.
tell this nationwide radio audience of
what our board is doing to help the
farmer improve his financial position
The problem we are working on is
commonly referred to as the farm
problem" but the fact is it is much
broader than that. It is a national
It involves directly nearly a third of
our population and indirectly prac-
tically all of the other two-thirds. In
a complex and interdependent system
such as we have today, no important
group or industry can suffer economic
disadvantage Indefinitely without the
trouble spreading to the nation as a
whole.
With agriculture, representing as it
does some 30,0o0,00 people, unable to
buy the products of other industries
scarcely beyond the mere necessities.
the time has come when the rest Of
the country cannot hope for prosperity
until the farmer gets on his feet f1nan-
cially. The quicker this is realized by
all Of us, the better. I am emphasizing
this point especially for the benefit OF
my city listeners.
Refers to Legge.
Before entering upon a discussion of
the work of the beard, wish to refer
briefly to the resignation, a week ago,
of our first chairman, Alex Legge,
which gave rise in the public mind to
these two questions:
viii the general policies of the board
be continued?
Why did Mr.. Legge resign?
The answer to the first question is
that the general policies have been
formulated by the board as a whole.
Plans heretofore adopted will be carried
out without change. This applies par
the Grain Sterilization Corporation and
the Cotton Sterilization Corporation.
Our client is the farmer and we are
administering the Agricultural Market
ing Act so as to give him the greatest
possible benefits. The board will con-
time to do So
Mr.. Legge gave the answer to the
second question when he said, in a
public statement, that he had been
working overtime for nearly eight
months and could not stay longer at
There are those who from selfish inter-
est have sought to put a different in
depreciation on his resignation. Now,
let's hear from Mr.. Legge on what he
thinks about the efforts of the Farm
Board to date. quote from his state
ment:
THE program" he says, "has pro-
crossed to point where the organiZa-
ton may be safely classified as going
concern. I sincerely believe the plan
Of operation to be sound and that the
test of time will prove this to the salts
faction of all interested. While results
expect that the condition which has
been developing over generations could
be corrected in any brief period Of time,
particularly when you take into account
the fact that the industry affected rep
resents some six and one-half million
individual producing units. Personally,
I have a greater confidence in the ulti-
mate success of the program laid down
by Congress in the Agricultural Market
ing Act than when undertook the
work some twenty months ago, and will
cooperate in every way may as
private citizen to bring this about"
Accepts Legge Offer.
The board welcomes and is going to
accept Mr.. Legge'S offer to help as a
private citizen. We all regret that he
Is no longer on the board. No one
could work with him for twenty months
without recognizing his high order Of
intelligence, his fairness, his sterling
qualities as business man and his
broad knowledge and sympathetic in
terest in agriculture.
The Agricultural Marketing Act was the
result Of nearly ten years of discussion
in Congress and out of various plans TO
deal with the agricultural problem. In
this legislation Congress discarded all
proposals that promised to solve the
problem without any action on the part
Of the producer. The plan enacted into
law provides Government assistance that
viii enable farmers, acting collectively,
TO control their own industry. Con-
gress says to the American farmer that
the Federal Government stands ready
to help him set up cooperative market
ing organizations TO merchandise his
crop in his interest; to assist him IN the
initial operations Of these agencies; TO
furnish him the best available informa-
ton on supply and demand conditions
for agricultural products at home and
abroad, together with recommendation
for such adjustments of his operations
as seem likely to give him the best re-
turn for his effort; TO extend financial
aid to him in dealing with emergencies
such as seasonal crop SuFpluses; and TO