committee. I have been much interested in the work that is being
carried on by this association; and of course if I can be of any value
to the association or to the cause in the position of president during
this particular year, why I accept that duty. But I would like to impose
one or two conditions. I know that your hearty co-operation will be
given. That would be one condition. But I am sure that each and every
one of you can assist in adding greatly to the membership of this
organization. We should at least have fifty members in each state within
our jurisdiction. That would mean, perhaps one-half of the states in the
Union. That would mean one thousand members. Now, in accepting this
position, I am going to ask each and every active member through his
friends and acquaintances to solicit and secure twenty-five members.
Now, I will double that amount, and agree during the year, to add fifty
good members to the association. That means over one thousand during the
year, and that is one goal that I hope we can reach during this
particular year, 1920. So far as the growing of nuts is concerned, so
far as the details connected with the work that you have been engaged in
is concerned, I propose leaving those things to those whom I consider
experts, Dr. Morris, our friend Reed from Washington, and others that I
might name; but the particular lines that I would like to follow this
year, gentlemen, and what I hope to receive your earnest support in is
an addition to your membership so that it may exceed a thousand; and
assistance in legislation throughout the country along the line that we
have worked out in our peninsular state of Michigan. I am glad that you
decided upon Washington as the place of the next meeting, and as I have
intimated in my remarks heretofore, I believe we have there a Michigan
Senator who will assist in national legislation along the lines that we
desire, because they are right ones; and in his position as chairman of
the committee on post offices and post roads of the country, being at
the head of the highway legislation, there is no man in the United
States as competent to help us along that line, and I feel sure that we
will get that assistance and support. With these few lines I will close,
and I sincerely hope you have not made any mistake at this session; and
when we have rounded up our year's work, that we can all say it has been
a successful one. I thank you. (Applause). The committee on Federal