Evening star., 1955-02-27
O. STATE ED[lnlY
Farmers /
Assessments
Based on Yield
l60 at Sandy Spring
Hear Brooke Lee RoF
New Zoning Rule

Tax assessments on farmlands
should be based on productivity
and annual yield, the 82d Annual
Farmers Convention of Sandy
Spring. Md. voted yesterday.
Some 100 club members unani-
mously adopted resolutions urg-
ing changes in the method OF
land assessment and a continua-
ton of reasonable" zoning in
the upper Montgomery County
agricultural area. The meeting
was in Sherwood High School,
Sandy Spring.
"It will become impossible to
continue commercial farming on
a competitive basis in this county
>. without such a change in the
assessment methods, the resolu-
tion stated.
Convention members said the
land productivity method Of
evaluation is indorsed by the
Maryland Farm Bureau and the
Maryland State Grange. 1t is
the assessment system used for
evaluation of gasoline service
stations and apartment dwell
ings.
Hit by Democratic Leader.
E. Brooke Lee, county Demo-
cratic leader who spoke for the
Montgomery County Farm Bu-
reau and the Upper Montgomery
County Land Owners Associa-
ton, attacked the "burdensome
and expensive" regulations in the
new upper county two-year zon-
ing ordinance.
The ordinance is scheduled to
become effective May 2, but
County Council members, con-
fronted by sharp criticism of the
new zoning and subdivision regu-
lations, have asked planners to
submit drafts of ordinance
amendments.
The farmers resolution was in
favor of minimum half-acre lots.
The pending ordinance calls for
a minimum lot size of 10 acres
bin agricultural ZoreS and three
acres in county home zones.
Politics, taxes. crops and social
security were topics discussed
yesterday.
Big Luncheon Served.
The annual Montgomery
County gathering of farmers and
guests were served a fried
chicken and potato salad lunch
con in the school cafeteria. Mem
bers of four county farmers
clubs-the oldest of which was
organized in 1844-sponsored the
convention.
Guests at the convention in
cluded Senator Beall, Republic
can, of Maryland, Montgomery
County Manager M. L. Reese;
Delbert T. Foster, the new County
Agent and DR.. S. H. Duvall, retir-
ing head of the Department of
Economics and Marketing at the
University of Maryland.
Speakers included Leon D.
Platky, field representative of
the Social Security Administra-
ton, who spoke on new social
security provisions for farmers,
and Don Paarlberg, assistant to
the Secretary of Agriculture, who
spoke on Government surplus
crop programs.
The convention and luncheon
Is supported by the Senior
Farmers Club Of Sandy Spring,
the Oldest of the organizations,
and the Enterprise. Montgom-
cry and Upper Montgomery
Farmers Clubs.
Among those who served the
luncheon's Is chickens, one
bushel of potato salad, one bu-
shel of tossed salad, 80 apple
pies and Is gallons of coffee,
were two former baseball stars
who are club members.
One was John N. (Jack)
Bentley, SO. a convention vice
president, who pitched for the
New York Giants in the long
remembered 1924 World Series,
the only series ever won by
Washington. The other was 65-
year-old Sam Rice, right fielder
for the Washington club during
the same series.
A feature of the afternoon
program was a camera slide
tour of Belgian farms presented
by Miss Joyce Riggs. 81, a
Gaithersburg All Club member
who is a senior at the Univer-
sity- of Maryland.
Miss Riggs was one of three
American farm youths who lived
in Belgium for four months last
summer under the auspices of
the International Farm Youth
Exchange Program.