1h« RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1217 
The Committee of Fifteen Meets 
T HE outstanding features of the discussions of 
dairy subjects at the meeting of the Committee 
of Fifteen on September 6 in Utica, N. Y., were: 
1. That the main function of the committee was 
to increase the price of milk and this purpose had 
been in a measure accomplished. Without taking 
too much ci*edit to itself the members felt justi¬ 
fied in the belief that its work had helped increase 
the price, and would now work to keep it up. If any 
disposition appeared to create a price as was de¬ 
veloped last year, the committee pledged itself to do 
everything in its power to keep peace and prevent 
another reduction in the price of milk. 
2. That a federation of all the groups is essen¬ 
tial to a perfect success of the committee work not 
only in removing the possibility of a renewal of the 
price war of last year, but also to get a price fair 
to the producer. 
3. The committee passed a formal resolution to 
notify Mr. Clarence C. Smith, secretary of the Wa¬ 
tertown Chamber of Commerce, that the committee 
would co-operate with any investigation of dairy 
conditions undertaken by the Northern New York 
Development League, and directed that a copy of 
the resolution be sent to Mr. Smith. It seemed that 
in a public news letter Mr. Smith said that “there 
would be no such objection to a suggestion made 
by its members as was made against the plan re¬ 
cently submitted to the Committee of Fifteen.” This 
statement was evidently made through lack of cor¬ 
rect information. The plan referred to was read 
and printed, but no objection was made to it and 
there was no discussion of it by anyone. The North¬ 
ern New York Development League, it appears from 
Mr. Smith's news letter, is intended to help all pro¬ 
jects in Northern New York and he suggested that 
its members would be unprejudiced in a study of 
the dairy problems. The committee went on record 
as ready to encourage the study. 
4. On September 2, the chairman had sent the 
following letter to the Dairymen’s League Co-opera¬ 
tive Association: 
In your League News of August 29 I notice the fol¬ 
lowing : 
“The League has invited and still invites all other 
groups of farmers to confer with them as to remedies.” 
Up in the north country we realize the great need of 
greater and more effective co-operation among the milk 
producers than now exists, and would be very glad to 
avail ourselves of this invitation on your part; and 
accordingly extend to you a most cordial welcome to 
attend the next meeting of the Committee of Fifteen on 
Sept. 0 at 10:30 o’clock in the morning at Hotel Utica. 
We have been very much pleased with the measure 
of co-operation on your part that has already obtained, 
and earnestly wish closer working arrangements for 
the future. In the event that you cannot be present 
in person, you are cordially invited to send represen¬ 
tatives. 
The original purpose of the committee was to 
work out an understanding between the five groups 
to stop the ruinous price war then in existence and 
to stabilize the market on price fair to the pro¬ 
ducer. The need of unity between the groups yet 
exists. It is true that some progress has been made. 
While competition has not been eliminated the price 
war has subsided, and all groups have come to a 
common sales basis, or so-called multiple plan, which 
helps avoid irritation and confusion. The industry 
in the New York territory, however, is not fully 
organized. We have many disconnected local units 
and many producers unconnected with any organi¬ 
zation whatever. The five leading groups have no 
co-operative policy among themselves. This fail¬ 
ure to unify the industry is costing dairymen mil¬ 
lions of dollars annually. Leaders have failed to 
come together or hold together. The resort now 
is to dairymen themselves. WTien they make it 
plain that they want unity of action in the dairy 
industry they will get it. Then they will be in a 
position to demand and get a fair price for milk. 
Life in the Upper Hudson Valley 
ASHINGTON County, N. Y., was once a 
much larger sheep district than it is now 7 . 
The tradition is that in days long past it had 225,000 
ewes. The estimate now' is 18,000. But in the old 
days the yield of w T ool was 2% to 3 lbs. per unit. 
Today the average will run from 8 to 10 lbs. The 
wrinkled-skinned Merino was once popular in the 
territory, but through the initiative of a few ad¬ 
venturous breeders, the smooth-skinned Merino 
was introduced some years back. This breed has 
been developed to a high degree of perfection in 
the territory, and it is the prevailing breed now. 
A local co-operative association has been in ex¬ 
istence for some years for marketing the wool, but 
it does not handle the w 7 hole product. The product 
outside the association is shipped on consignment 
to the Boston market. The local association is now 
affiliated with the New York State Sheep Growers’ 
Association, located at Syracuse, which is a federa¬ 
tion of the local associations in the State. The local 
association, which is situated at Eagle Bridge, is 
composed of as capable and alert a lot of men as 
will be found in any industry of this State. Their 
local associations seems to be managed efficiently 
and economically. Their meetings are certainly 
models of plain, efficient business procedure. Their 
financial accounting is simple but in" full detail. Ex¬ 
penses are reduced to a minimum. The selling costs, 
through the federation office at Syracuse, however, 
run a little higher than the Boston commission 
charges. A larger volume would reduce this ex¬ 
pense but the difficulty is to secure the larger volume 
while the difference is in favor of Boston. The 
general sentiment is focussed on a reduction of the 
overhead sales expense. This they believe would in¬ 
crease the volume and justify a later decrease in 
the expense. They have the right view. Efficiency 
and economy are the ideals of successful farm co¬ 
operation. 
In the southern part of the country, sheep, dairy 
and potatoes are the leading products, with some 
garden truck for local markets, and poultry. 
Wealthy farmers are, to say the least, not numer¬ 
ous; but the farmers, and the homes, the men and 
the families, bear evidence of frugal thrift, and 
plenty. The neighborly spirit is well developed. The 
old American stock still predominates, and for a 
large part the sons and daughters stick to the old 
homestead and lighten the burden of parents. Tlip 
guest shares a cordial hospitality and departs with 
a sense of mutual friendship and a higher apprecia¬ 
tion of the virtues of American farm life. 
Regents of the New York University 
V ERY few' of our readers know how the schools 
of New York are governed. They hear of a 
certain Board of Regents supposed to control the 
system, but it is hardly likely that one out of 50 
could name five of these x'egents or tell just what 
their authority is. It seems desirable that in the 
discussion of the rural school problem which is sure 
to come up again this coming. Winter we should 
begin at the foundation, and tell our readers just 
how the school system is controlled. We begin 
w'ith the Board of Regents. The following state¬ 
ment was prepared by Charles R. Skinner, formerly 
Commissioner of Education and now librarian of 
the Legislative Library at Albany. 
Regents of University incorporated May I, 1784; 31 
in number, including 7 ex-officio members; November 
26, 1784, increased to 64 members. 
During first three years functions confined to Co¬ 
lumbia College. 
April 13, 1789, reorganized with 19 members elected 
by Legislature with life terms. Governor and Lieut.- 
Governor made ex-officio members. 
1842, Secretary of State added. 
1S54, Superintendent of Public Instruction added. 
January 1, 1895, made constitutional body. From 
the first the settled policy was to adhere to principle 
of higher education. The same principle has guided it 
ever since, and controls it now. The Regents repre¬ 
sent the aristocracy of education. If they have ever 
been leaders in any movement for the uplift of the 
common schools, it is not apparent. 
In 1812 the Superintendent of Common Schools was 
established; Gideon Hawley appointed January 14, 
1813. He was so efficient that the Council of Appoint¬ 
ment removed hirii in 1821. There was such opposi¬ 
tion to removal of Hawley, that in less than three 
months the Legislature abolished the office of Super¬ 
intendent of Schools in order to get rid of the successor 
of Hawley. 
The duties of Superintendent of Schools devolved 
upon the Secretary of State, then elected by the Legis¬ 
lature. 
The Council of Appointment was put out of exist¬ 
ence in 1821. 
In 1S47 the Secretary of State was first elected by 
the people. 
From 1826 to 1845 the Secretaries of State acting 
as Superintendent of Common Schools were: Azariah 
C. Flagg, afterward Comptroller; John A. Dix, Union 
general; John C. Spencer; Samuel Young. 
In 1854 the State Department of Public Instruc¬ 
tion was established and the first Superintendent 
elected by the Legislature. This office and the method 
of election was maintained for 50 years, until 1904. 
The superintendents in that time were: Victor M. 
Rice, nine years; Henry H. VanDyck, four years; 
Emerson W. Keyes, one year; Abram B. Weaver, six 
years; Neil Gilmour, nine years; William B. Riggler, 
three years; James E. Morrison, three months; A. S. 
Draper, six years; James F. Crooker, three years; 
Charles R. Skinner, nine years. During all these 
years the educational system of the State grew steadily 
from year to year. 
For many years prior to 1904, under the inspira¬ 
tion of a very active secretary, the Regents were active 
and persistent in their efforts to detach the high 
schools from the common schools, and place them under 
the Regents with colleges and academies. The Sup¬ 
erintendent of Public Instruction (Skinner) insisted 
that the common schools could not be divided. There 
were many hearings before legislative committees, and 
there were many bitter and animated discussions. The 
situation at last became unbearable, and during the 
legislative session of 1904, the Superintendent of Pub¬ 
lic Instruction (Skinner) determined to sacrifice every¬ 
thing for educational peace, although the Legislature 
was more than ever favorable to his re-election. 
Under his supervision the bill was drawn uniting the 
two departments, the. Department of Public Instruc¬ 
tion, and the University. The bill provided for a Com¬ 
missioner of Education to be first elected by the Legis¬ 
lature and thereafter by the Regents. The commission¬ 
er was empowered to appoint three assistants. It 
also provided for the election of 11 Regents by the 
Legislature. The bill after much debate, and much 
opposition became a law March 8, 1904. On March 
9, 1904, the Legislature elected 11 Regents, and on the 
same date elected the Commissioner of Education. 
Since the consolidation, the Regents have gradually 
absorbed every educational activity and have obtained 
jurisdiction over all the professions, until now no one 
can practice in a majority of the professions without 
being certified by the Regents after many kinds of ex¬ 
aminations under a variety of rules and regulations. 
Following are some of the professions absolutely con¬ 
trolled by them: Law, medicine, dentistry, architec¬ 
ture, pharmacy, chiropody, optometry, nurses, certified 
short-hand reporting, certified public accountants, vet¬ 
erinary medicine and surgery. 
No college, academy or high school can be organized 
except under the ordinances of the Regents. 
No school building can be erected unless approved by 
Regents. 
No teachers can teach, except under State authority. 
Pupils cannot be promoted from one grade to an¬ 
other without a certificate after examaination. 
Rigid examinations are required for every pupil re¬ 
gardless of physical condition, capabilities, character¬ 
istics or choice, and a certain per cent required in each 
case. 
Everything seems to be done in the interest of higher 
education, college, academies and high schools. Pupils 
in lower grades are given little attention, in spite of 
the fact that more than 90 per cent of school children 
never go beyond the grammar schools. 
If the Regents can point to one thing which they 
have done in the 135 years of their existence to up¬ 
lift the common schools, or to make education of chil¬ 
dren attractive, or to make better educated citizens, it 
has escaped attention and record. 
Age of present members of the Board of Regents: 
Sexton, 84, chancellor emeritus; Lord, 74, chancellor 
emeritus; Vanderveer, 83, vice chancellor; Moot, 70; 
Alexander, 75; Bridgman, 89; Byrne, 57; Baker, 54; 
Boody, 53; Mangan, 52; Wallen, 45; Kellogg, 47. 
The fact stands out prominently that every movement 
to improve conditions in the common schools of the 
State has been made under the Superintendents of 
Public Instruction. They have shown sympathy in the 
simple requirements of education, and the people of 
the State recognize the fact. 
It may be said in passing that there is a lack of 
young active minds on the board as now constituted. The 
present Chancellor, Charles S. Lord of the University, 
is in his seventy-fifth yeai\ His predecessor, P. T. 
Sexton, recently retired, is 84 years old. For years 
he did not attend meetings. He is etill a Regent." The 
Vice Chancellor, Vanderveer, a splendid man, is in his 
eighty-third year. 
For many years, it did not seem possible to elect as 
a Regent anybody but a physician. Then the choice 
turned to newspaper men, and then to ministers or 
lawyers. No commanding educational figure with few 
exceptions was ever considered. 
A High Wind and Apple Market 
The recent storm was very severe here. It picked 
about 90 per cent of the Seckel pears and but few 
Bartletts right beside them. The north side of the ap¬ 
ple trees suffered severely, and the larger the apples 
the worse they suffered. Should think from 10 to 80 
per cent of the fruit was blown from the different trees 
according to their exposure. I went to Providence to 
see if any use could be made of the best of them, but 
found a poor market, one wholesaler selling common 
apples five bushels for $1, and nothing but the very 
best worth any more. f. t. j. 
Rhode Island. 
T HIS storm did great damage throughout lower 
New England. In New Jersey the wind was 
high, but not strong enough to do great damage 
We were off at one side of the breeze. Generally a 
storm of this kind will upset the fruit markets bad¬ 
ly. People rush to pick up the drops and run them 
into market as fast as they can. This is really the 
worst thing they could do. It fills up the market 
with poor stuff, and depresses the prices to such an 
extent that it is never quite possible to build it up 
again for some days. It gives every advantage to 
the buyers and middlemen. Farmers almost al¬ 
ways do this largely because they are not fully or¬ 
ganized, and are so anxious to turn everything into 
cash that they cannot see that when they crowd 
the market with these windfalls they ruin the trad" 
ir the better grades of fruit. The markets this 
year have shown some curious features which it is 
almost impossible to understand. As a result of 
this wind, considerable fruit was put on the market 
where we sell our goods, and the prices of cour«> 
dropped, and even when this poor stuff was cleaned 
up it was a considerable time before the price went 
back to what it should have been for good apples. 
One night in particular we took a truckload of 
excellent fruit into market, but it was almost im¬ 
possible to dispose of it, even at a low figure, be¬ 
cause buyers were afraid it would prove to he drops 
and culls topped off with good fruit and they 
would not buy without the fullest investigation. 
That is another illustration of the loss which comes 
from crowding the market with culls and windfall 
fruit. Much the same thing happens when bulk 
shipments of apples ai*e dumped into our markets. 
These apples are merely picked and loaded into the 
cars without boxes or barrels. They are sold to 
peddlers direct from the car and whenever they are 
plenty they will determine the price of all grades of 
fruit 
