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At the AFBF annual meeting tax confer- 

 ence are, left to right, B. A. Thomai, 

 ShelbyviUe, Ky_- George E. Metzger, lAA 

 field secretary, and A. S. Thomas, di- 



rector of taxation and legislation, Indiana 

 Farm Bureau. At the right, Ulinois is rep- 

 resented at the fruit and vegetable con- 

 ference by lAA Vice-President Talmage 



Deirees, at left. Porter Hardy Ir., of Vir- 

 ginia, and at right. L. L. Colris, lAA di- 

 rector of fruit ond Tegetable marketing. 



4) Credit should be so controlled that it 

 will not contribute to land inflation. 



5) All interested groups and afjencies should 

 collaborate in safeguarding returning 

 veterans against unwise loans. 



6) All public farm credit agencies dealing 

 with real estate loans should use the Ap- 

 praisal Division of the Federal Land 

 Bank System, with service made avail- 

 able at cost to the Veterans Administra- 

 tion for any veteran desiring to buy a 

 farm. 



X. Land Grant Institutions 



We urge increased appropriations to the 

 Extension Service sufficient to provide a 

 County Agent and Home Demonstration 

 Agent for every agricultural county, plus 

 such assistant Agents as are necessary. 



XI. Agricultural Research 

 Information on production records and 



farm practices, now in the files of various 

 public agencies, should be turned over to 

 the Land Grant Colleges for study and tab- 

 ulation, with final reports made available to 

 farmers. Research is needed on the com- 

 parative value of natural foods and fibers, 

 compared with the value of synthetic sub- 

 stitutes, on better methods of production, 

 soil use, and new and expanded uses for 

 agricultural commodities. Work of the 

 Regional Agricultural Laboratories should 

 be broadened. Better coordination is 

 needed in the planning and carrying out of 

 all research. 



XII. Rural Electrification 

 Further extension of electric service to 



rural areas should be pushed as rapidly as 

 feasible. REA projects must be made truly 

 cooperative, and politics kept out of the 

 movement. Farmers should have equal ac- 

 cess with other groups to power developed 

 at government-owned dams. 



Xin. Surplus Property 



We insist that surplus property owned by 

 Government be disposed of with due regard 

 to protection of free markets and competi- 

 tive prices, and condemn uncontrolled dump- 

 ing. Rural needs for such property should 

 receive every consideration. The statute-cre- 

 ated Advisory Board to the Director of War 

 Mobilization and Reconversion be permitted 

 to function as representatives of the general 

 public and their interest, as provided by 

 law. 

 XIV. Returning Veterans and Agriculture 



We support the creation of local advisory 

 committees to help veterans to find their 



JANUARY, 1945 



places in civilian life. Agriculture itself 

 can absorb only a portion of those wishing 

 to go into this field, but attractive oppor- 

 tunities should develop in rural communities 

 in rendering services not supplied by farm- 

 ers. Veterans should be informed as to 

 these opportunities and aided in getting es- 

 tablished in this field. 



XV. Military Training 



Compulsory military training in times of 

 peace is foreign to the American way of 

 life. We recommend that a broad program 

 leading to physical fitness be incorporated 

 in our high schools, and we approve of the 

 system of military training now provided in 

 our Land Grant Colleges; but we oppose 

 the program of compulsory military train- 

 ing new being publicly advocated, as lead- 

 ing inevitably to some form of militarism. 

 XVI. Roads 



We favor continuation of Federal aid to 

 States, but insist that such aid be based on 

 actual need, that States be required to 

 match Federal funds, that the formula for 

 apportionment now in use be continued, low- 

 cost farm-to-market roads, including school 



R. W. Blackburn, former AFBF secretary, 



and Donald Kirkpotrick, AFBF and LAA 



counseL listen to the reading of the 



resolutions. 



and bus routes be given more consideration, 

 and that future Federal super-highways be 

 routed to serve existing market centers. 

 XVII. Conservation of Mineral Resources 



U. S. farmers customarily add to the soil 

 less than half the amount needed to main- 

 tain our soil fertility. Therefore we rec- 

 ommend that the Board of Directors of the 

 American Farm Bureau Federation take ap- 

 propriate action to protect, improve, and 

 increase the supply and use of mineral fer- 

 tilizers drawn from the large, undeveloped 

 deposits in the West and in Florida. 

 XVIII. Social Security 



We urge our Board of Directors to seek 

 a practicable plan under which farm labor 

 may be covered by old-age and survivors' 

 insurance under the Social Security Act. 

 When such a practicable plan is developed, 

 we will endorse it. 



XIX. Sale of Surplus Unds 



We commend Congress for safeguarding 

 the sale of Government-owned surplus 

 land, and particularly for the provision that 

 land be offered to former owners at the 

 original purchase price, adjusted for damage 

 or improvement. 



XX. Farm Machinery and Supplies 



We urge continued aggressive action to 

 speed up the production and delivery to 

 farmers of all necessary machinery, repairs, 

 and supplies. 



XXI. War Memorials 



We recommend to State and county Farm 

 Bureaus, that where war memorials are 

 being considered, they direct attention to 

 the urgent needs of rural America for ade- 

 quate health and hospital facilities. In all 

 cases, funds should originate entirely with 

 the respective States and counties 

 XXII. Freedom of Speech, Press, and Radio 



We condemn any restrictions of the right 

 to criticize acts of public officials whether 

 in private conversation, by statements in the 

 press, or by broadcasting over the radio 



Clear channel broadcasting;, free 



from interference, is invaluable to rural 

 America. We urge no reduction in the 

 number of clear channel stations and no 

 limitation of clear channel broadcasting. 

 XXIII. Membership Achievements 



We commend the State and county or- 

 ganizations for their accomplishments in 

 membership acquisition. 



