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Show September 1969 UTAH FARM BUREAU Page 2 whal goes on in another womans ers and ranchers are in danger mind or heart unless it is some- of being trampled by an uninthing she should be ashamed of. formed majority; priority on . water, land assessment, farmer its The national "government, in bargaining power, imports, taxes, different of open space, farm labor laws, zondepartments myriad and bureaus, is spending millions ing, air and water pollution, of dollars in public relations. In school consolidation, doing busito say nothing of other words in seeking to sway ness as or of this farm the programs and controls public opinion in favor a manner that majority of farmers have that activity. In like every name brand of food, every disowned. Urban people have the manufacturer of machines and big say of how we are forced to appliances, is using every device operate. Lets tell them our side and every media of expression to of the story. insure their product a favorable reception. But agriculture, now represented by nly 5 percent the population, is doing little or nothing to tell its story to the consuming public. The once powerful farm bloc in the national Congress is now a thing of the past. Whatever legislation is passWendell Wyatt Congressman ed is in the hands of the big from the Disfirst congressional urban majority in Congress. It is trict in sent out Oregon recently essential that agriculture, farming a 23 part questlonare to 180,000 and ranching, tell its story to the of his constituents. He received public. And it is a thrilling story, a total of 30,894 replies. Some properly told, a tale of hard of the 23 questions were on subwork, intelligent effort and un- jects that have to do with Farm matched productivity. Food shop- Bureau policy, and in as much h pers would be faced with as his districts includes the not the for were if it prices Willamette Valley, which contains spectacular efficiency of U. S. some of Oregons best farming farm production. ground, we thought the replies Must we, who produce the raw would be of interest. To the 40 some which from perDo that there product you feel question, cent of the nations working peo- are substantial inequities and loopple draw their incomes, be al- holes in the Federal Income tax ways and forever without in-- - laws which require change, 92.7 fluence concerning our rights and said yes, 3.0 no, and 4.3 no co-op- GUMaST SODTTOIaIDAIL SERIOUSLY lllNHBNIIHIIIHIIIHIIIItalIIIHIIIIIIallNIInllHNIIIlmIIMllMIlllalllllnllHIIIMHIIIIIHnlllHllllallM Editor's Here, for your consideration Is one opinion about the over taxation on cooperatives and the movement to end controversy the exemptions enjoyed by cooperatives. by Russ Tall Director of Public Relations National Council of Farmer Cooperatives There's good money in leading a crusade against cooperatives. In fact it can be a lucrative lifetime business, as practiced by a few Washington-wis- e professionals. They've made a career of the campaign and reaped handsome rewards despite a notable lack of reNote: sults. For more than two decades, enterprising "organization counselors" have extracted many millions from both large and small businesses, on the promise of alleviating the competition from s. The coops remain strong, though far from dominant, in the nation's private enterprise system. But the beat goes on. And the fund raisers, working behind an ever -- widening curtain of businessmen's front organizations, continue to reap the harvest. The promise of punitive legislation against co-oresounds across the land with each new ripple of activity on the tax front. The issue breaks into the bigtime at least once every ten years. Seemingly settled in 1962, it's back again as a little noticed section of the Tax Reform bill passed by the House and soon due for debate in the Senate. aimed at putting a Whatever the outcome of the current effort - -use co-owho the and others financing plans of farmers crimp in not a to scene. leave the the fund raisers are They've got good likely thing going. How was this merry go round set in motion? It started in 1943. Pushing the panic button, a group of Midwest consultant to a closed businessmen summoned a door meeting in Minneapolis. s. the Solution: Tie The Problem: Competition from 'em down with more taxes. They figured six months would tie time enough to "develop facts, present them to Congress, and the problem would 1 met." The consultant, Vernon Scott, would tend to the details. the campaign chugs merrily along. Twenty six years later, Scott and a longtime partner - - Lorlng Schuler, fashioned a many headed enterprise and made a good living at it. Out of that Minneapolis meeting, attended by grain merchants Ben McCabe and Austin Cargill among others, emerged the makings of what proved to lie a much more durable organization than its founders had intended. Later in Chicago the group formally organized National Tax Equality Association. Three years later the same people opened another front - - now known as National Associated Businessmen, Inc. When NTEA witnesses appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee to testify on tax legislaton in 1951, they met a barrage of sharply worded questions and comments during cross examination by committee members. Rep. Daniel Reed of New York, ranking Reliterature was aimed at publican on the committee, said NTEA's tretween businessmen and farmers." Rep. "creating a class cleavage chastised the organization for sending a teleCarl Curtis gram to Committee Chairman Robert Doughton of North Carolina accusing the committee and the administration of "pandering the cooperatives' leadership". After several sharp exchanges with NTE A PRESIDENT, Garner Lester of Jackson, Miss., Rep. Curtis concluded "No, gentlemen, I think that if you were honest, you would give this money back to these businessmen whose leg you are pulling month after month and let them come in here themselves. I have respect for them. I want them to have a fair deal. Congress had become interested in NTEA two years earlier, in convened a Select Committee on 1949. Rep. Wright Patman Small Business to determine whether NTEA, NAH and other organizations "purporting to represent small business actually do represent small business." The Committee's published report stated that neither was a bona fide small business organization and that both "devoted most of their energies to but one of their stated objectives, namely the tax equality objective of taxing cooperatives." Further, the Committee reported evidence of "mutually evasive lobbying reports" co-op- ps ps ed highly-recommend- co-op- (R-Ne- . . Some city friends, visiting on our farms, adopt a superior air and tell us of the wonders of city life; neon signs, hustle and tension, the availability of culture. What have they to offer that compares with: The west wind passing over the glimmering valley grasses, the mountains showing a tender blue scalloped against the sky, meadow larks whose wings are never quiet and whose song is like the ringing of distant bells, dandelions dappling the grass like golden coins sown by a prodigal, little streams where the water warbles like birds over the loose stones, the feel of a kittens fur stroked into little bubbles of purr. In the country solitude merely brushes the surface; in the city solitude reaches the heart. d How Members Feel About Vital Questions sky-hig- Did you hear of the hippie who needs? Farm organizations can do more required medical treatment when his beard caught on fire while than they are. So can he was burning his draft card? groups whose prosperity depends directly on the farms. And A diplomat is one who can tell so can we farmers. The best pubyou to go to hell in such a tactful lic relations work can be done a chance way you look forward to the locally. When theres the record to speak up and set journey. homedo takes It it. lets straight, to date to and work dig keep up No wonder some kids cant see to takes out the it facts, gumption eye to eye with their parents; future you speak up. But its your their hair gets in the way. are talking about and its the price we have to pay for being a It is fortunate that men do not minority group. understand women. Women unThats it. Agriculture is Ameriderstand women and they dont cas newest minority group. like them. You can pick out any number Women are not inteiested in of trouble spots where we farm- agri-busine- ss The situation today is strikingly similar, at least from outward appearances. In Washington one phone numter will get you the firm of Scott & Schuler or NAB or yet another front - - Banker Committee for Tax Equality, also listed as Bankers Congressional Committee. All are at the same address, as is NTEA. H. Vernon Scott is listed on letterheads as president of NTEA and executive vice president of NAB. NTEA filed lobbying reports indicating income of more than $300, 000 in 1968 and said less than 10 percent of it was spent on lobbying NAB activity. says its money is for research and publicity, and that less than 6 percent is used in connection with action by the Congress. Lobbying reports of both NTEA and NAB are signed by the same person - - Homer E. Marsh. When the campaign was launched in the forties, it was declared would either be brought to their knees loudly and often that co-oor would put everyone else out of business. The doomsayers were wrong on both counts. Co-ohave maintained a steady rate of growth and saved farmers several billions of dollars. But even if the 8,000 farmer marketing and supply co-o- ps were combined they would command only about a quarter of the total x.) so-call- and Otherwise By HARVEY GRIFFIN b.) fD-Te- . ps ps ed farm market. from NTEA and NAB. Those hearings also disclosed some details of the intricate lobbying machinery put together by grain, coal, lumler, livestock and cotton dealers and with financial backing of big utilities. Testimony of Scott himself revealed a complicated interlocking of offices and directorships. Scott and Schuler were the chief executive officers of NTEA and NAB respectively. The firm of Scott & Schuler (organization and business counselors') drew a retainer from each (totalling $58,000 rcent of its time on the two accounts. NTEA in 1949) and spent 99 had income of more than $500,000 per year and NAB more than $50,000. While the tax equality groups have never been able to convince Congress of their righteousness, they have persisted as a thorn in the side of co-othrough the years. Their propaganda has put co-oin a bad light with large segments of business and the general public. They've made some progress in getting restrictive laws passed. And they scored a point this year when the House that tax bill included a section which regulates coreform passed the op financing. They still ballyhoo the bogeyman - - posing cooperatives as a threat to the nation's business community. They demand a double tax on the money a farmer saves by doing business through a cooperative. They want patronage refunds taxed . once before and once after the farmer gets them from the co-o- p. Each time they tap a chink in the co-o- p armor, a letter goes out to businessmen around the country, asking for appropriate reward. Most recently, they boasted of having prevailed upon Rep. Joseph Gilbert to Introduce an anti-co-bill, and having engaged former IRS Commissioner Mortimer Caplin to testify against co-obefore the House Ways and Means Committee. Such good deeds should be worth a $100 "subscription" to the services of NTEA, suggested a form letter addressed to Melvin E. Sims. The sender did not, of course, know that Mr. Sims is a farmer and co-o- p leader. He is president of his regional cooperative, FS Services, Inc., of Bloomington, 111., and also president of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. The request drew little more than a chuckle and shake of the head from Sims. But It probably reaped a handsome harvest from businessmen less familiar with NTEA and its companions. Therell be more such mailings, more cash in the kitty and more noise from these so-call- ed ps ps UTAH FARM BUREAU ITt NEWS Published each month by the Utah Farm Bureau Federation at Salt Lake City, Utah. Editorial and Business Office, 629 East Fourth South, Salt Lake cents per year to memCity, Utah, 84102. Subscription price of twenty-fiv- e bers is included in membership fee. Entered as second class matter March 24, 1948 at the Post Office at Salt Lake City, Utah under the act of March 3, 1879. (D-N.- op Y.) ps UTAH FARM BUREAU FEDERATION OFFICIALS President Elmo W. Hamilton, Riverton Vice President S. Jay Child, Cleafield Chairman, Farm Bureau Women Mrs. Willis Whitbeck, Bennion Executive Secretary V. Allen Olsen Editor Kenneth J. Rice DIRECTORS District One, A. Alton Hoffman; District Two, William Holmes; District Three, Jack Brown; District Four, Don Allen; District Five, Ken Brasher, co-o- District Six, Lee Barton; District Seven, Richard Nelson. . p s, adversaries. That six month campaign launched in 1943 has been parlayed into permanence., opinion. should the National Labor Relations Act be amended to require that farmers recognize and bargain with unions representing their workers? Yes. 28.1 No, 55.9, no op. 16.0. Should Congress place a celling on the total amount of Federal farm subsidy payments which one person may Yes, 16. in any one year? 28.1 no, 55.9, no op. In choices for changing receive 0. the electoral college, 76.4, favored direct popular election. A district system was favored by , and a proportional only 5.2 share of the electors divided among the candidates based on the percentage of vote obtained was favored by 9.5, 5.1 favored no change in the present system. Although not directly concerned with Farm Bureau issues, the vote on the banning of TV advertising of cigarettes was interesting, Yes, 64.7, no, 26.4 and no op. tabuThere is not space here to late all the questions and answers, but it is interesting to note that they were all answered heavily on the conservative side of the is- 89. sues. Ecologist Tells How to Select Beef Animals Select beef animals more for functional efficiency than for good looks, Dr. Jan C. Bonsma, South Africa livestock ecologist advised a group of some 400 livestock producers attending a special lecture and demonstration at Utah State University September 3 sponsored by the Producers Livestock Marketing Association. Arrangements were under Joe I. Jacob, Salt Lake City, general manager, and Allan Adams, Logan, board member of the association. Dr. Bronson, professor of animal science with the University of Pretoria, interpreted functional efficiency of a beef cow as the ability to produce a heavy calf every year that when weaned weighs 50 to 60 percent as much as the cow. He explained and demonstrated with live animals that this quality can be determined to a large extent from carefully studying the live animal. "Look at your animals as a He exliving book," he said. plained that this means looking in detail at the skeleton, hair patterns, muscular' development, fat deposits, animal behavior and the animal in general as a composite of all. |