AGRICULTURAL RELIEF

527

what you are doing, by getting the cooperation of everybody who is
concerned with the marketing of the commodity and making it to
the commercial and financial interests of everybody concerned to help
you bring about stabilization rather than to make money as a conse-
quence of the fluctuations in price. So far as we are concerned, we
would greatly prefer a stable price to an unstable price.

Mr. FuLmer. But on the part of producers in the past there does
not seem to have been anybody trying to assist them in bringing
about a fair price. They have had no control over their surplus
and the other fellow has taken advantage of it and fixed a price at
the expense of the producers.

Mr. AxpErsoxn. I have said, that I think that there is a problem
here, and I think something can be done about :* But I do not
think it can be immediately done on the vast scale «. .2aich I fear
it is contemplated here.

Mr. FurnMmER. You realize it would be just as bad on the part of
this machinery or board to attempt to put the price too high as it
is now with the price too low?

Mr. ANDERSON. Yes; and I fear that might happen.

Mr. FuLmer. It is a matter of controlling a surplus, when we
are blest with one, so as to bring about a fair price in accordance
with the size of the crop; in other words, if you had a small crop of
wheat, for instance, it might bring $2, it would not be the conten-
tion of the board because we had an extremely large crop to get
$2.50 per bushel when perhaps that crop would have to sell for
$1.50. But over a period of vears by averaging the prices you
would get a higher price for the surplus of the large crop.

Mr. ANDERSON. We do not disagree about what the problem is
at all; if we have any disagreement, it is, I think, about the speed
with which we can get at it and the kind of machinery which should
be adopted to do it, and the underlying policy which would govern
both the board and the commercial organizations created to deal
with 1t.

Mr. Furmer. Do you favor this plan, Mr. Anderson?

Mr. AxpeErsoN. I have already said, I think perhaps before
you came in, that we think a board such as proposed here, if soundly
constructed, would be of material aid in fixing the limits of the
problem and in aiding and in organizing the necessary instrumentali-
ties to deal with it and in financing those organizations.

Mr. ANDRESEN. Mr. Anderson, you believe that that board
should be given sufficient money to carry out its judgment as to
what should be done?"

Mr. ANDERSON. Yes; subject to proper limitations.

Mr. AxpreseN. If that board were given sufficient money, do you
not believe it could do just the same as any private individual could
do in the handling of these commodities?

Mr. AxpERsoN. No; I do not. I have had a good deal of experi-
ence with board, while I was a Member of Congerss and since. They
do not function commercially. Business is essentially autocratic.
You have got to fix responsibility and its responsibility must be
promptly exercised. It is often more important that a thing be done
and done wrong in business, yet done immediately, than that a lot
of time be taken in order that it be done right. If I were doing it
myself—and I am approving this board—I think that if the board