SUMMARY OF AFBF 

 RESOLUTIONS 



( Continued from pjge 1 1 ) 



ing by existing agencies. 



We recommend that the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation collaborate 

 with the appropriate existing agencies 

 to develop a constructive program for 

 the improvement of rural buildings. 



Any program that encourages farm- 

 ers to contract debts in excess of their 

 ability to pay will make no permanent 

 contribution to the rural housing prob- 

 lem. 



NATIONAL FERTILIZER 

 PROGRAM 



There are now pending in the Sen- 

 ate and in the House identical bills 

 which propose to establish and develop 

 a national fertilizer policy and pro- 

 gram. Under the titles and within the 

 proposed act. Congress will define the 

 general policies and be authorized an- 

 nually to make the needed appropria- 

 tion to effectuate the proposed pro- 

 gram insofar as governmental agencies 

 are involved. 



The Secretary of Agriculture, in con- 

 sultation with an advisory policy com- 

 mittee, is charged with giving general 

 direction to the program through the 

 state Land Grant college experimental 

 and extension systems. The bill also 

 provides the remaining public reserves 

 of phosphate and potassium minerals 

 for the conservation and maintenance 

 of the nation's soil resources and to 

 determine through reasonable explora- 

 tion the location and extent of such 

 resources. 



The proposed measure is premised 

 in part upon the fact that the present 

 quantities of mineral plant food being 

 applied to the Nation's farm lands are 

 severely inadequate, that higher con- 

 centrated materials ip many parts of 

 the country should be produced and 

 utilized, and that the intelligent use 

 of mineral plant food should be great- 

 ly accelerated. The American Farm 

 Bureau Federation vigorously indorses 

 these conclusions. 



The bills propose the construction 

 and operation of three pilot fertilizer 

 plants of commercially-sized operations 

 producing highly concentrated mate- 

 rials. These plants should give initial 

 assistance to private industry, includ- 

 ing farmers' cooperatives, in the pro- 

 duction and distribution of highly con- 

 centrated mineral plant foods. On or 

 before five years from such construc- 

 tion, such plants must be disposed of 

 at a fair and equitable price to private 

 industry. Farmer cooperatives should 

 have prior right to purchase them. 



The American Farm Bureau Federa- 

 tion believes that the problem is of 

 such proportion as to fully justify the 



16 



extraordinary program and plan for 

 action as contemplated in the prop>osed 

 measure. The American Farm Bureau 

 Federation will join with other farm 

 organizations in supporting this pro- 

 posed program. It solicits industry to 

 join in the program. The board of 

 directors and the executive officers jre 

 authorized and directed to support ag- 

 gressively for enactment into law the 

 proposed national fertilizer policy pro- 

 gram. 



LABOR-INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS 



No group should assume uiito itself 

 prerogatives that disturb the interde- 

 pendence of all segments of our na- 

 tional economy. If in the past it was 

 essential to preserve friendly relations 

 in order to produce the goods needed, 

 it is even more imperative in the pres- 

 ent that agriculture, labor, industry, 

 service groups, and those engaged in 

 other channels of endeavor cooperate 

 to the fullest extent to achieve the 

 maximum of production so vital to the 

 welfare of our country. 



Unfortunately, the maintenance of 

 economic balance between groups iS'* 

 being endangered by recent develop- 

 ments. Through racketeering prac- 

 tices, hot cargoes, lockouts, secondary 

 boycotts, coercion, intimidation, with- 

 holding of goods from markets await- 

 ing tax benefits, and other abuses and 

 practices, the production and movement 

 of products to market is being serious- 

 ly interfered with today. Such con- 

 duct is to be deplored and condemned. 

 The national interest demands that im- 

 mediate steps be taken to end these 

 abuses and practices. 



MILITARY TRAINING 



Compulsory military training for 

 American youth in time of peace is 

 foreign to the American way of life. 

 We believe that a greatly expanded 

 program of physical training and edu- 

 cation should become a part of the 

 regular curriculum of the upper grades 

 and high schools of the country. The 

 system of military training provided 

 for in our Land Grant colleges should 

 be greatly intensified. We recommend 

 that military training be made a part 

 of the regular curriculum of municipal 

 and publicly-supported universities and 

 colleges. We favor additional induce- 

 ments to encourage voluntary enlist- 

 ments for limited service. We oppose 

 a program of compulsory military 

 training which leads to regimentation, 

 a militaristic point of view, and fu- 

 ture wars. 



OLD AGE AND SURVIVORS' 

 INSURANCE BENEFITS 



The federal old age and survivors' 

 insurance program under the Social 

 Security Act provides a type of as- 

 sistance which is highly regarded by 

 a large majority of persons covered un- 

 der such a system. 



We approve the extension of the 

 federal old age and survivors' insur- 

 ance program to include regtflarly em- 

 ployed full-time farm labor and em- 

 ployes of non-profit agricultural or- 

 ganizations. We will not oppose the 

 extension of this program to occasion- 

 al, part-time farm labor when a prac- 

 tical, workable method for including 

 such labor under this system is pre- 

 sented. We recommend that careful 

 study be given to the development of 

 health insurance programs by non- 

 governmental organizations. "These 

 studies should cover the necessary 

 changes in laws which would permit 

 insurance companies or mutual health 

 associations to serve adequately the 

 health needs of the people. 



AIR TRANSPORTATION AND 

 AGRICULTURE 



It is advisable to prevent unwise 

 federal and state laws of a restrictive 

 nature being put into effect regarding 

 avilition, particularly at the beginning 

 of air transportation of farm products. 

 This is a much better procedure than 

 trying to correct them after they are 

 once enacted. 



Air transportation, to serve agricul- 

 ture and the public interests, must re- 

 main free to compete with other forms 

 of transportation with respect to rates 

 and services, in order that it might 

 ' serve the public welfare with the in- 

 herent advantages it possesses. Every 

 encouragement should be given to de- 

 velop air transport under private en- 

 terprise. A careful study should be 

 made as to methods to be applied and 

 the type of agency, either state or fed- 

 eral, that should administer regula- 

 tions. 



UNEMPLOYMENT 

 COMPENSATION 



We recognize the benefit's in a well- 

 administered unemployment compensa- 

 tion program. Payments, however, 

 must not be incentives for idleness. 

 Cases must be reviewed at frequent in- 

 tervals, and persons refusing to accept 

 employment should be disqualified 

 from receiving further payments. 



We urge a careful review of the en- 

 tire program. The employment serv- 



I. A. A. RECORD 



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