20

AGRICULTURAL RELIEF
Mr. Gray. No; I do not.

Mr. Fort. You do not in any case put that power in the individual
producers or in the members of an association?

Mr. Gray. In no farm relief bill has that been done. In the one
that was passed last year that same phraseology was used, and there
was no demand for a definition of eligibility.

Mr. Fort. You might find, might you not, on this basis, Mr. Gray,
50 per cent of the crop—take, for instance corn—may be raised out-
side of the districts that are primarily known to us as wheat and
corn districts of the country.

Mr. Gray. If that be the case, statistically proven, the advisory
councils which represent 50 per cent in the aggregate are necessary
to make their recommendations before the Federal Farm Board has
any indication of popular producer opinion on the subject. That is
covered in the first section of paragraph 7, as suggested for
amendment.

Mr. Fort. I assume it is improbable, but it is still possible that
there might be no wheat growers or men who were substantially
interested in wheat on any of these advisory councils in a great part
of the territory in the United States.

Mr. Gray. I would hardly think that possible, with the
make-up——

Mr. Fort. Those men’s interests might be in the mill feeds rather
than in the wheat itself. That is possible.

Mr. Gray. That would be possible, yes, under certain territorial
limitations. But you can not avoid all of those things.

Mr. ForT. What I am trying to get at is why are you trying to get
away from that commodity advisory council proposition and putting
the settling of the problem in wheat or corn or anything else in the
hands of a group of men who do not represent the wheat or corn
growers, but represent a territorial, geographical division in which
the growers of any commodity may be in the minority in the selection
of a representative.

Mr. Gray. I would not agree that your premise is correct for an
answer when you say that these councils do not represent the growers
of commodities in the district which they represent. These councils
which are called together in convention and are created at this con-
vention, the advisory council being composed exclusively of the
producers, will surely get on the countil such men as will represent
the commoditites in that district. I would not confess that vour
premise is a proper one for an answer.

Mr. Fort. All commodities are grown all over the country. I
mean every isolated commodity you can name will be found in some
degree in each district, barring cotton in New England.

Mr. Gray. That is possible.

Mr. Fort. Therefore they may not represent the commodity.
They may represent an antagonistic commodity.

Mr. Gray. That is hardly possible when it says they must re-
present in the aggregate 50 per cent of the commodity. It is hardly
possible if not wholly improbable.

Mr. Fort. Then why do you get away from the other? Why do
you get away from the direct representation of the particular com-
modity? Why should not the wheat growers of the United States,
as a group of wheat growers. settle what is going to happen to wheat?