Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1932-08-18
DO THEY EARN 1T?

In a speech at Minneapolis the eth
er day, Einar Hoidale, candidate for
Congress on the Democratic ticket,
called a spade spade when he said
that there is nothing cheap about the
federal farm board except the prices
its activities have obtained for farm
commodities He went on to show
that the manager of the American
Cotton Cooperative Association which
operates under the federal farm board
gets an annual salary of $4,000. The
sales manager, assistant manager.
vice president, treasurer, district
managers and such other officers get
salaries ranging between $4,000 and
$4,000.
Considering the small income the
farmer receives, those who claim to
work in his interests ought to work
for reasonable pay, but We find that
is far from the case" declared Mr..
Hoidale.
In 1928 we were promised parity
between agriculture and industry. We
got the Hawley-Smoot tariff bill-fine
parity-and the federal farm board.
The salary of board members was
made known at the time-S10,0O0 FER
year-and that got plenty of pub
1icity because there were many folks
who thought that the several posi-
tions created for $4,000 jobs was just
so much more politics. But what a
storm there would have been if the
general public had heard of the 500
900, $4,000, $4,000 and even $751;
900 annual salary plums at the time.
But some time later after the storm
had died down about the $4,000 sal
airy grabs, it started to seep out about
the real jobs-what the really big
boys were getting-the appOintees of
the farm board. 1t looks now like
the board members have regular En-
rand boy jobs alongside of the boys
who get $4,000 and $4,000 annually.
Fifty or seventy-five thousand dol
lars annually is a salary that is not
exactly to be sneeZed at in these
times. Even the $4,000 appointments
are hardly without applicants and it
is just possible that the government
could get good men for less money.
In the first place appOintees to
those positions do not have to be
social lions like the president, so need
not spend so much money in enter
tanning. Bowling and scraping and
diplomacy should not be amongst the
qualifications for the jobs, but some
hard-headed business sense and judg-
ment, and much executive ability
should be amongst the requirements
if the jobs are necessary at all. We
just wonder how many of these men
could earn from twenty to seventy
five thousand dollars annually in pro-
jects or business of their own. II
given chance to try it they would
likely accept much less in salary
OF course their salaries are not in
the millionaire class, but how much
use have we anyway of that class that
earn million dollars or more for
themselves annually? Yes, it is just
imagination, perhaps a little tradi-
tion, and little of the leave-overs
from the days of the kings, kaisers
and czars. But look out for a finan-
cial autOcracy. 1t is even worse.
WIFI Inc eApeHSe VI past, present
and future wars, reduction of federal
income taxes during the years be-
tween 1920 and 193O-the Mellon adj
ministrations-the period of more
wealth Capitalization than any other
decade in the history of the United
States, and with salaries melted out by
the federal farm board as above noted
lit is no wonder that it was hard to
balance the budget. No man needs
$4,000, $4,000, or $4,000 annually
to live on. 1t is all imagination. Let
them come down to earth and realize
that there are other human beings
who have a desire to exist.