AGRICULTURAL RELIEF

17
responsible to the farmer about under your bill here that you have
now referred to? It was, under the old bill.

Mr. Gray. The board, by the terms of this bill, is required and
expected to do certain things and with these advisory councils made
up as we have amended the bill, the public opinion of the producers
will be brought to the Federal farm board in such a way, directly
from the advisory councils, that are permanent in nature, that it
will be difficult for the Federal {arm board to disregard the wishes
of the councils.

Mr. KincueLoE. We have a very good example now of these boards
and the effect on them of public opinion, in this new radio commission.
Do you think public opinion has had any effect on this radio hoard
down here? If you do, go down before them once, and they will tell
you where to get out. They are not responsible to the broadcasters,
or the radio public, or anyone else, any more than this board you
propose would be responsible to the farmers.

Mr. Gray. That is off this subject, but I am not quite sure that
public opinion——

Mr. KincueELoE. This board that vou propose would not be
responsible to the farmer.

Mr. Gray. And I am definitely sure, in the Farm Bureau, that
public opinion is rather strongly on the side of the radio commission.

Mr. KincHELOE. You have not looked into it much on the side of
the fellows who are independent broadcasters. Of course, if you
have been associating with the Radio Corporation of America, that is
a wonderful board; but I am just mentioning that to vou as a parallel
proposition to this farm board.

Mr. Gray. We think not. This is not germane to the subject.
When we have anything to say we have no difficulty getting on the air.

Mr. CLark. Do I understand, Mr. Gray, that in the first place or
originally you set up a Federal farm board with definite powers and
full responsibility, apparently, and then you curtail those powers
and that responsibility by these subsidiary advisory councils that
are going to be controlling over this farm board?

Mr. Gray. I do not know that I would use the word “curtail,”
but we set up advisory councils that really have the function of being
more than letter institutions; they are active institutions.

Mr. Crark. Then the responsibility would attach to the councils
and not to the farm board? Is that the idea?

Mr. Gray. The responsibility of reflecting public opinion of the
producers would reside in these councils and be transmitted from the
councils to the Federal board.

Mr. Kercaam. Right in that connection, please compare the bill
as introduced, on page 9, where it says ‘“ Whenever the board finds”
with your substitute, section 7 (a), where it says, ‘“ When the advisory
councils in districts which in the aggregate represents more than 50
per cent of any commodity, or when a substantial number of coopera-
tive associations or other organizations or producers of the commodity
in such districts favor the full cooperation of the board in the market-
ing of the surplus of the commodity.” It seems to me that that
exactly meets the suggestion of Mr. Clark that you have transferred,
by these pronosed amendments. the real power in that recard—that