Uhe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
839 
The Value of a License 
That the Department of Asricnlture is in error 
in stating on page 751 of The R. N.-Y. that the 
I’aramonnt Condensed Milk Company purchased 
milk two weeks before farmers reported the matter 
to the State Department, is evident from the two 
letters on record. 
On April 5 I wrote the Commissioner: 
“The Paramount Condensed Milk Co. have opened a 
creamery at Prattsville, N. Y., and began to purchase 
milk on April 1. lOlS. I am anxious to know, as a 
patron of said creamery, whether the Paramount Com¬ 
pany have filed the bond required by See. 55 of the 
agricultural law, and whether a license has been issued 
to them. I have made inquii'ics of Carl D. Davidson, 
president of the company, but can get no satisfaction 
from him. 
“This company took in .TS.OOO lbs. of milk on the l=:t 
day of April, and their receipts will be greater through 
^I.ay and .Tune. I trust you will take the necessary 
steps to have this bond filed at once if it has not 
already been done, as it will mean a big loss to farmers 
if the Paramount Company should not be. responsible. 
“Thanking you in advance for the information and 
trusting you will give the matter your immediate atten¬ 
tion. ANDREW ir. SPEENBURGn.” 
On April 6 he replied: 
“You are .advised that this is the first intimation 
that we have had that such a concern was in the busi¬ 
ness of purchasing milk from producers for the purpose 
of manufacturing same into an article of food._ Me are 
this day calling their attention to same and informing 
them that they will have to obtain a license from this 
bureau if they expect to continue conducting their busi¬ 
ness under Section 55. 
“Thanking you for calling our attention to this com- 
PflUy. BRINK, 
“Chief Bureau of Licenses.” 
I called Mr. Brink on the telephone several different 
times between April 1 and 20 and urged him to do 
something. Inasmuch as the Department was in posses¬ 
sion of all these facts, I feel they are a whole lot to 
blame for the farmers’ losing so much money. 
ANDREW n. SPEENBtXRGII. 
The results from licensing of milk dealers lias 
been far from .satisfactory. From now on w’e pro¬ 
pose to find out, if we can, who is responsible. Un¬ 
less the system protects farmers they are worse off 
than to have no pretense of a bond security. 
By-Laws of the New York Federation of 
Agriculture 
Article I.— Membership. 
Section 1. —Any farmers’ organization in the State 
of New York, consisting of twenty-five or more mem¬ 
bers, may become a member of the Federation when 
approved by the executive council, provided that over 
sixty per cent at least of its members are farmers, by 
subscribing to its constitution and by-laws, and paying 
the annual dues. Each member organization shall have 
one vote in the Federation, and one additional delegate 
for each five hundred additional members as provided 
in the constitution. 
Sec. 2.—Each member organization shall pass a 
resolution satisfactory to the executive council, approv¬ 
ing the constitution and by-laws of the Federation, and 
elect one or more of its members as a delegate or dele¬ 
gates to represent it in the Federation. A copy of the 
resolution and a certificate of the election of the dele¬ 
gate shall be filed with the Federation by the member 
organization. 
Sec. 3. —Such accredited delegates of the member 
organizations shall constitute the voting body in the 
Federation meetings. 
Sec. 4.—Member organizations with less than five 
hundred members shall be entitled to one delegate. 
Member organizations with five hundred and fifty mem¬ 
bers shall be entitled to two delegates, and for each 
additional five hundi-ed members it shall be entitled to 
one additional delegate. Such member associations shall 
pay an additional annual fee for each and every dele¬ 
gate; and each delegate shall be entitled to one vote. 
The membership association shall certify to the Federa¬ 
tion its membership, and remit the fee for each dele¬ 
gate at least ten days previous to the annual meeting. 
A certificate of election of the delegates of a member 
organization, giving his full name and address, shall be 
signed by the president or secretary of the member asso¬ 
ciation and the certificate shall be filed with the Federa¬ 
tion. 
Sec. 5.—In case of the resignation of the elected 
delegate or of his inability to attend a particular meet¬ 
ing, hte president of the member association or its 
executive council may appoint a temporary delegate in 
writing to the* Federation. Such temporary delegate 
may represent such member organization, and exercise 
all the functions of the regular delegate. 
Article II.— Election of Officers. 
Section 1. —Elections. The election of officers and 
councilors shall take place at the annual meeting each 
year. 
Sec. 2.—Nominations. At least one month before 
the annual meeting the nominating committee, under 
the direction of the executive council, shall invite all 
member as.sociations to submit nominations for offices 
in the Federation for the succeeding year, and furnish 
blanks for their reports, and fix the last date at which 
such nominations can be received and counted, which 
must not be later than ten days previous to the date 
of annual meeting. The nominating committee shall 
then canvass tlie votes, ascertain the highest votes for 
each nominee and declare the result. The delegates 
shall then elect the officers from the nominees by ma¬ 
jority vote. 
Sec. 3. —Distribution of Councilors. For the nurpose 
of making the executive council representative of all 
parts of the State, the State shall be divided by counties 
into nine districts as follows: 
(1) 
(5) 
Kings 
Richmond 
Monroe 
Livingston 
Queens 
Westchester 
(Irieans 
Wyoming 
N’assail 
Putnam 
Niagara 
Erie 
Suffolk 
Rockland 
(Jenesee 
Bronx 
Orange 
• 
(0) 
(2) 
Yates 
Allegany 
Dutchess 
Sullivan 
Schuyler 
Cattaraugus 
Columbia 
Delaware 
Steuben 
Chautauqua 
Rensselaer 
Oreen 
Ulster 
Albany 
(7) 
.Tefferson 
Oneida 
(3) 
Lewis 
St. Lawrence 
Otsego 
M''ashington 
Oswego 
Schoharie 
Saratoga 
Montgomery Fulton 
(■S) 
Schenectady Herkimer 
Madison 
Seneca 
Onondaga 
Wayne 
(4) 
Cayuga 
Ontario 
Hamilton 
Clinton 
W arren 
Franklin 
(0) 
Essex 
Cortland 
Tompkins 
Chenango 
Tioga 
Broome 
Chemung 
One councilor shall be elected from each district. 
Sec. 4.— Officei*s Ineligible. Anv person holding a 
political office is ineligible for office in the Federation. 
Sec, 5.—Quorum. Twenty-five per cent of the dele¬ 
gates present at any meeting shall constitute a quorum. 
Sec. (!. —Proxies. No delegate shall be represented by 
proxy and no proxy vote shall be recognized, but a 
temporary delegate may be provided for a delegate as 
.jirovided in Article VI., Section 1. 
Sec. 7. — Filling Vacancies. For the purpose of com¬ 
pleting the permanent organization, the executive coun¬ 
cil may make appointments of councilors or other 
officers or committees to fill any vacant place caused 
by resignation or failure to elect at the first meeting 
on .Tune 7, 1918, and for vacancies occurring thereafter. 
Such appointee shall hold office until the annual meet¬ 
ing. 
Sec. S.—Short Terra. The term of officers elected at 
the first meeting on .Tune 7 shall expire at the annual 
meeting following. 
Sec. 0.—No person except members of a township 
unit or other member organization is eligible to election 
of any office in the Federation, but eligibility to office 
in the Fedei’ation is not limited to delegates. 
Sec. 10. — Any organization approved for membership 
in the Federation shall pay into the treasury of the 
Federation the sum of twenty-five ($25.00) dollars per 
delegate, which sum shall be the membership fee, and 
shall be used only for the legitimate objects of the 
Federation. This membership fee shall be due at once 
upon notice from the Federation secretary that the 
application of the organization has been appi’oved. This 
fee shall be paid annually to the secretary of the Fed¬ 
eration, and no member oi'ganization shall be entitled to 
representation in the annual meeting of the Federation 
until its fees are paid in full. 
Article III.—Duties of Officers. 
Section 1. — President. The president shall preside 
at all meetings of the Federation; shall be chairman of 
the executive council and be ex-officio one of its mem¬ 
bers. He shall be a farmer and shall hold office for one 
year, or until his successor has been elected. 
Sec. 2.— Vice-Presidents. The vice-presidents shall 
be farmers. They shall be elected annually and serve 
for one year or until their successors are elected. They 
shall be members of the executive council. In case of 
the absence or incapacity of the president, each vice- 
president shall perform the duties of the president in 
the order of his title. 
Sec. 3.— Secretary. The secretary shall be a farmer ; 
he shall keep the records of the Federation; have charge 
of its correspondence; keep the minutes of its general 
and executive meetings; draw all orders on the treas¬ 
urer for such bills as are approved by the president and 
keep a record of the same; collect all dues from member 
organizations; remit the same to the treasurer; notify 
all member organizations at least twenty days prior to 
the holding of any annual meeting; be ex-officio a 
member of the finance committee, give a bond in such 
sum as the executive council shall determine, and per¬ 
form such other duties as may be required by the coun¬ 
cil, and shall hold his office for one year. 
Sec. 4.— Treasurer. The treasurer shall be a-farmer. 
Tie shall be a member of the executive council; he .shall 
have charge of all money of the Federation; he shall 
deposit the funds of the Federation in such bank or 
banks as are designated by the executive council; keep 
accurate account of all its financial transactions; pay 
out money upon orders drawn by secretary for items 
appi'oved by the president, and shall give a bond in such 
sum as the executive council shall determine, lie .shall 
hold his office for one year. 
Sec. 5. — Councilors. Each councilor shall attend all 
meetings of the executive council, or furnish an excuse 
for his absence. He shall vote on all questions unless 
excused by the remaining members of the council. It 
shall be his duty to appoint county and district com¬ 
mittees in his territory, subject to the approval of the 
Federation, and to ascertain and make known the choice 
of members in each county or district in his territory 
as expressed by the vote of the member organizations. 
He shall keep a record of the township units in his 
territory and use his best efforts to increase their num¬ 
bers and membership. 
Sec. 0. —If five or more member associations prefer 
charges in writing against any officer of the Federation, 
the accused officer shall be given a hearing before the 
executive council. -V vote of the executive cotincil shall 
then be taken and the c'^'^u^ed officer may be recalled 
on a two-thirds vote of the members present. The re¬ 
called officer may, however, appeal to the members of 
the Federation; and his recall may be reversed on a 
two-thirds vote in his favor. 
n w .1. t » V./V/U *.> Vyllj, 
The executive council shall consist of the president, 
the three vice-presidents, the .secretary, the treasurer 
and the nine councilors. Its will shall be expressed in 
a majority vote of its members. It may appoint com¬ 
mittees and adopt rules, not inconsistent with law or 
these by-laws for the conduct of the business. It 
shall enforce the provisions of the constitution and 
by-laws. It shall appoint the financial committee to 
consist of five or more members and devise means to 
provide necessary funds for the use of the Federation. 
It shall designate depositories for the funds, prescribe 
the amount of bonds for the secretarv and treasurer 
and authorize the expenditure of the funds of the Fed¬ 
eration, 
The appointment of employees shall be subject to the 
approval _ ot the executive committee. It shall define 
their duties and fix their salarie,s. It shall provide lit¬ 
erature for the information of its members, suggest 
programs and subjects for discussion, provide competent 
speakers, ballots^ for their use, and canvass the votes of 
member associations, to select, indorse or nominate car- 
didates for State, county and district offices. 
Minutes of the proceedings of the executive counci 
Shall be kept by the secretary and read at the succeed¬ 
ing meeting of the Federation. 
Article IV.— Cojimittees. 
Section l.—-The audit committee shall consist of two 
who hold no other office in Federation. Thev 
shall be appointed by the executive council. The audit 
Cf.mmitt^ shall have authority to employ public ar- 
countants. and shall make annual reports to the Fo(- 
eiation. If the secretary refuses or neglects to call 
special meetings at the request of the audit committee. 
It may call such meetings itself. 
Sec. 2.-—All acts of officers and committees must be 
approved by the membership before they become bindin*-- 
on the organization. * 
chouS^^^if 1 annual meetings of the Federation 
shall be held during the week including the second Tues¬ 
day of December. 
Special Meetings. —Special meetings may be called 
at any time by the president and shall be called on the 
request of ten per cent of the members or at the re¬ 
quest of yie audit committee. The purposes of everv 
such special meeting must be stated in the notice and 
no other business shall be transacted at such meeting 
Notice of special meetings must be mailed at least 
thirty days previous to the date of meeting. 
Article VI.— Public Officials. 
,. , ,, ami lAiscricc umces. The Fed¬ 
eration shall select, endorse or nominate no candidate 
for county or district office until formally selected en¬ 
dorsed or nominated by the member organizations in 
^e county or district in which the office is to be filled 
ihe councilor shall organize county and district com¬ 
mittees in his jurisdiction and ascertain the wishes of 
the member associations therein and report same to the 
executive council. 
Sec. 2. Qualifications, All persons selected, en¬ 
dorsed or nominated for public office shall pledge his or 
her support to the principles and policies adopted by 
the New York Federation of Agriculture, 
Sec, 3.—Non-Partisan. The Federation shall be non¬ 
partisan in the selection of public officers. It will aim 
to select candidates because of their fitness for office 
and thmr interest in agriculture without regard to 
party affiliations. It shall make special effort to select 
farmers to the State Legislature in agricultural di.s- 
tnets. If it fails to induce party organizations to nomi¬ 
nate desirable candidates it may. when the member 
associations so elect, nominate independent candidates 
tor the places, and conduct a campaign for their election. 
Sec. 4.—State Offices. At least sixty days before a 
primary or other nomination for State offices, the ex¬ 
ecutive council shall submit a referendum to the member 
associations containing one or more propositions for the 
endorsement of candidates of one or more of the political 
nomination of independent candidates by 
the Federation for the State offices to be filled at the 
succeeding State election. It shall set a time to limit 
the returns on the referendum, and furnish ballots on 
the principle of preferential representation for the use 
of members voting at the local associations. It shall 
cause the returns to be canvassed by the tellers’ com¬ 
mittee, and the result shall direct the policy of the Fed¬ 
eration for the succeeding campaign. 
Sec. 5.—There shall be no secret commitments be¬ 
tween officers or committees of the Federation and other 
organizations or interests. Any agreement or mutual 
understanding is a matter of concern to the members of 
the Federation and to the people that they represent, 
and the facts of any mutual agreement or understanding 
must be clearly stated in plain English. 
Article VII.— Referendum. 
The executive committee may on its own initiative 
refer questions on a referendum to the individual mem¬ 
bers of the township units and other member organiza¬ 
tions, and shall do so at the request of ten per cent 
of the member organizations. The referendum shall be 
conducted by the member organizations and the result 
reported to the executive committee on blanks furnished 
by the committee. It shall then canvass the returns 
declare the proposition won or lost on a maioritv 
of the votes cast. 
Article VIII.— Amendments. 
The constitution or by-laws may be amended at any 
regular or special meeting of the Federation, but proper 
legal notice of such proposed amendment shall be incor¬ 
porated in the call for the meeting. 
