at one of the obvious things that you all think of and I may mention
is the matter of increased membership. That's an obvious solution, and
as I said a minute ago, it's a very possible solution.

The work that was started by Mr. Best last February is only now
beginning to bear fruit. New memberships, even as late as this for this
year, in August, are coming in very, very well. I personally see no
reason why the membership cannot be increased to a thousand members next
year, providing all of us bring in a member or two.

I asked a friend of mine on The Country Gentleman for some data on state
population compared to farm population. I forget just exactly now how it
runs on various states, but I do recall Indiana. We have a population
here of four million people. There are about 700,000 of these people on
166,000 farms. The farms in this state produce a wealth of $75,000,000 a
year. With 700,000 farmers in this state and population of 4,000,000
with a wealth of $75,000,000 a year, it would seem to me that the State
of Indiana should have more than only 39 members. Out of that group we
should certainly increase that ten times. We should have 400 members,
and if the same proportion is carried throughout the nation, why, this
organization can easily obtain a roll of 7500 to 10,000 members. A
thousand members next year should be a pushover. So much for the
financial report.

Mr. Best's campaign started last February. His vice-presidents were
given material and the inspiration to work for new members, and they
responded. For Mr. Best I compiled the list of the new members who have
been brought in, with the people who have brought in the greatest
number, but that thing went galley-west in the last few days by the
strong finishers. Mr. Best himself came in yesterday with a pocket full
of 11 new members, and he already had a couple on the list. Up to that
time--and I am not giving credit to the Secretary, because several of
the members that show his sponsorship have come naturally through his
office. So disregarding the sponsored members of the Secretary, Spencer
Chase was top man, up until Mr. Best upset him yesterday, followed by
Dr. Rohrbacher, who was a late finisher with members who were not
recorded in this report. All through the year it was a battle between
Pennsylvania and Illinois as to who would have the greater number of
members.

Illinois, with 36 members, hopped up to 60, and Mr. Best's 11 make 71.
And just this