1272 New York State Agricultural Society 



of c'haritv and not a truly construct ivc system. Each one is good 

 in its way; but sooner or later you will iind conflicting elements 

 among you and they will be working at cross purposes. It is for 

 that reasou that your committee has taken the liberty of comment- 

 ing on the bill pending in the legislature before we know what 

 disposition will be made of it and suggesting that something be 

 inserted in the bill to give the Commissioner of Agriculture or 

 some recognized authority some degree of supervision which can 

 be enforced over the management of the farm bureau if the state 

 is going to appropriate any money, no matter how small the sum. 



I have heard a suggestion made that the time has come for a 

 thorough organization of the agricultural activities, government- 

 ally speaking, in the State of Xew York. I am one who believes 

 the time has come and the need is exceedingly urgent. We are 

 now standing on the brink — you should get together and have a 

 little system. I do believe that a waste of the tax-payers' 

 money is justifiable simply for the purpose of making it appear 

 that we are trying to do something for the farmer. I think poli- 

 tics is pretty well eliminated now. We want it kept out. I have 

 a certain sense of alarm, a certain degree of alarm as to impend- 

 ing conflict l)etween local authorities such as a board of super- 

 visors, the federal appointing authority who is to appoint these 

 directors, who is situated a thousand miles away from Livingston 

 County and has to take the word of the supervdsors in Livingston 

 County as to whom he shall appoint, and the conflict between 

 those and the authorities in Albany. Politics inevitably will be 

 injected into it unless we systematize it, because whenever you 

 have a condition of confusion in the administration of public 

 affairs there is the opportunity for political manipulation. And 

 so vour coniniittee in its feeble way, and rather hastilv, thou2:ht 

 that this matter ought to be brought before you. 



We have talked this matter over without coming to any definite 

 conclusion, except that we recognize the need of coordination 

 among these governmental agencies. We have no program to pre- 

 sent. Such a program would have to be a most ambitious one. Tt 

 would innncMliately raise difference of opinion as to the functions 

 of tlio ('ommissioncr of Agriculture, Cornell University, the sec- 

 ondary schools, the local farm bureaus, and the federal govern- 



