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ices should be returned to the respec- 

 tive states. 



PRICE LEVEL STABILIZATION 



It is the position of the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation that monetary 

 and fiscal policies, including matters 

 pertaining to the management of the 

 national debt, be coordinated by a bi- 

 partisan monetary authority. Plans 

 must be developed for the stabilization 

 of the general price level. We believe 

 that monetary policies are of such 

 fundamental importance to the general 

 economic welfare of this nation that 

 serious consideration and study must 

 be given to the development of prac- 

 tical programs designed to bring about 

 price stability. We recommend that 

 the board of directors of the Ameri- 

 can Farm Bureau Federation proceed 

 to try to develop a positive program 

 designed to promote stability of prices 

 at a desirable level. 



GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP 

 OF LAND 



In many arels of the nation, espe- 

 cially in the West, where the gov- 

 ernment owns as high as 70 percent of 

 the land in some States, there is grave 

 concern with regard to the alarming 

 amount of governmental control and 

 the further expansion of the land ac- 

 quisition program. We oppose any 

 further acquisition of privately-owned 

 lands by any governmental agencv 

 without the consent of the appropriate 

 state authority except where such lands 

 are needed for general public works or 

 general public welfare, such as dams, 

 irrigation, flood control, power, and 

 navigation, or some other like public 

 use. 



Lands, except the aforementioned 

 and commercial timber lands now 

 owned by the government, should be 

 returned to the states, or should be 

 returned by the federal government 

 to private ownership. 



AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



Special emphasis must be given to 

 agricultural research in order for the 

 American farmer to meet successfully 

 the increased competition at home and 

 abroad in the postwar period. Addi- 

 tional attention must be given to de- 

 veloping better methods of production 

 and soil use, new crops, improved crop 

 varieties, improved breeds of livestock 

 and new and expanded uses of agricul- 

 tural products. 



Information dealing with production 

 records and farm practices in the files 



JANUARY, 1946 



of various public agencies dealing with 

 agricultural problems should be made 

 available to the appropriate agencies 

 of the Land Grant colleges, and studies 

 should be made of the farm practices 

 used by the most successful farmers. 

 The results of these studies should be 

 made available to all farmers as a con- 

 tribution to economic production. 



Research is also needed to evaluate 

 foods with higher nutritional content, 

 especially as to their vitamin and min- 

 eral content and to determine the rela- 

 tive values of such foods as compared 

 with the use of synthetic substitutes. 



We therefore recommend that the 

 research programs of the Department 

 of Agriculture and of the Land Grant 

 colleges be expanded so as to assure 

 agriculture a position in research equal 

 to that of rndustry. 



RURAL ELECTRIFICATION 



Electricity for farm power is an eco- 

 nomic necessity in reducing production 

 costs. Despite the amazing progress 

 of the last ten years, more than half 

 the farmers of the nation do not yet 

 enjoy the comforts and conveniences 

 made possible by electricity. The de- 

 mand for service among farm people 

 is increasingly insistent. We therefore 

 urge that the REA program together 

 with the programs of privately-owned 

 utility companies, be prosecuted vigor- 

 ously to the end that all farmers may 

 have the benefits of electrification. We 

 insist that REA cooperatives be based 

 upon truly cooperative principles, and 

 that their primary purpose be to serve 

 rural people as provided by law. 



INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL PLANTS 



As we look to the future, all indica- 

 tions point to enormous surpluses in 

 some commodities. We recommend 

 that every known outlet be carefully 

 studied for the purpose of increasing 

 the consumption of these commodities. 



We recommend that the American 

 Farm Bureau Federation fake such ac- 

 tion as the board of directors deems 

 practicable and economically sound to 

 assure the continued operation of the 

 existing .industrial alcohol plants so 

 that farmers may have the benefit of 

 this additional market. 



AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION 



The extension services, the experi- 

 ment stations, and vocational agricul- 

 tural training are of immeasurable 

 value and service not only to rural 

 life, but also to the nation. We urge 

 the Federation to support appropria- 

 tions for the maintenance and expan- 



sion of these services to the full extent 

 it appears to be advisable and neces- 

 sary. . ■ • 



SURPLUS PROPERTY DISPOSAL 



The delay constantly encountered by 

 the public in the acquisition of surplus 

 property — even today, over a year 

 after the enactment of the Surplus 

 Property Act — is indefensible. 



The American Farm Bureau Federa- 

 tion insists that there be made im- 

 mediately available to the public a 

 clarification of the rules and regula- 

 tions of the Surplus Property Admin- 

 istration and disclosure of its plans 

 for carrying out the intent of the Con- 

 gress. Steps should be taken at once 

 to provide for sales in rural areas in 

 such a manner as will assure farmers 

 and farmers' cooperative associations 

 an equal opportunity with others to 

 purchase surplus property. 



RADIO 



We reaffirm the position the Amer- 

 ican Farm Bureau Federation took at 

 the 1943 annual meeting against any 

 reduction in the number of clear chan- 

 nel radio broadcasting stations. If, as 

 seems probable now, frequency modu- 

 lation broadcasting comes into gen- 

 eral use in thickly populated areas, 

 rural people will be more dependent 

 than ever upon clear channel stations. 

 Therefore, we insist that clear chan- 

 nel radio service be maintained and 

 improved to the end that rural people 

 may enjoy the best in radio programs. 



PUERTO RICO 



Puerto Rico has been a part of the 

 United States since 1898, and since 

 1917 the people of Puerto Rico have 

 been American citizens. The two mil- 

 lion people of Puerto Rico have ac- 

 cepted responsibilities of citizenship, 

 and under the Selective Service act 

 contributed 70,000 of their young men 

 to the American armed forces during 

 the last war. The American Farm 

 Bureau Federation, recognizing the 

 citizenship of the people of Puerto 

 Rico, insists that there not be , dis- 

 crimination in the laws of the United 

 States as applicable to the agriculture 

 and economic welfare of Puerto Rico, 

 and that the inhabitants of this island 

 be given rights and privileges con- 

 sistent with the duties and obligations 

 of their citizenship. 



PULPWOOD 



The growing importance of pulp- 

 wood as a source of cash income to 



(Continued on pjge 26) 



17 



