26

AGRICULTURAL RELIEF
which contain 50 per cent of the production have given their O. K.,

that then the board may act or, in the alternative, a substantial

number of cooperative associations located in districts which repre-
sent 50 per cent of the product, then the board must act.

Mr. Gray. Not “must.”

Mr. Fort. In other words, you have got your language so that it
does not take a substantial number of cooperatives representing the
producers all over the country, but it merely takes a substantial
number of cooperatives representing producers in districts that raise
50 per cent of the commodity. In other words, you have it below
the 50 per cent figure. You do not have to have a recommendation
of 50 per cent of the commodity at all, the way you have it worded
here. Is that intended?

Mr. Gray. No; that is not the way it was intended, and I do not
believe the words here would justify your point of criticism on that.

Mr. Fort. You have “such districts.” Legally that refers back
to the last use of the word “districts,” and the last use of the word
“districts”’ has been the districts that raise 50 per cent, therefore
the legal interpretation would be that you are limiting it to the
cooperatives in districts that represent 50 per cent of the commodity,
and not all the commodity. You don’t care if that is cleared up?

Mr. Gray. Not a bit.

Mr. Fort. You do not want language in here that would be sus-
ceptible of that interpretation?

Mr. Gray. We want the districts that recommend to the Federal
Farm Board to represent 50 per cent of the aggregate of the com-
modity.

Mr. Fort. And any language that makes that clear will be satis-
factory to you?

Mr. Gray. That will be all right.

Mr. Apkins. In part, at least, the object of this amendment is to
meet this situation: The last bill we had, that gave the farmers, you
might say, the right to suggest men to the President that might be
appointed on this board, being eliminated for constitutional reasons
or for veto objections, does not this in part, at least, seek to vest
in the farmer in another way a part of that authority that was taken
away from him in the suggestion of names of members of the board.

Mr. GraY. I have said that; yes.

Mr. KincaELOE. Do you think your amendment gives the ad-
visory councils more power than they would have had under the bill
that we passed last year?

Mr. Gray. Yes; I think it does, especially when the advisory
council is more of a permanent institution in these draftings than it
was in the provisions of the bill last year, where the councils were set
1p as conditions arose.

Mr. KincuELOE. Why would his permanency, when he knows
nothing about the commodity, add to his efficiency?

Mr. Gray. I would not agree that the councils or any member
know nothing about the commodities in the district. I did not agree
to that premise in the beginning.

Mr. KincaeLoE. Let us take an example of it. Let us see which
would be the most efficient and better informed to advise their
members of the advisory council, growers of that commodity who have

spent their lives in it and know all about it, or, let us take tobacco