New-York tribune., 1917-08-02
Proposes That Crops of
Producers Be Exempt
from Seizure
Compromise Expected
More Drastic Provisions May
Be Required by War
Conditions

|
sion of the Legislature over the food
control bill dwindled to-day. Apparent
ly the upstate farmers, who control the
heavy Republican vote, are going TO
succeed in having the confscatory pro-
visions of the measure, as suggested by
Governor Whitman, moderated, if not
entirely stricken out.
While most of the Democratic mem
bers of the joint legislative committee
which is formulating the bill to be
/ introduced tomorrow attended the
, opening day of the war race meeting
at Saratoga, Senator Elon r. Brown,
chairman of the committee, Senator
/ George A. Slater and other Republican
members remained at the Capitol and
labored with the food problem. These
members were a self-constituted sub
committee which put the finishing
/ touches TO the bill.
! Before leaving for Plattsburg Gov
ernor Whitman sent letter to Senator
Brown, in which he pointed out that
there had been some misconception In
In regard to the more drastic pro-
visions of the bill which he had sug-
gested. The Governor declared it had
not been his intention that the pro-
posed food commission should have the
power to seize food products from the
producer, except where it appeared to
the satisfaction Of the commission that
the products were teing held in unrea-
sonable quantities to exact unfair
prices or to constitute waste.
Producers Property Exempt
az therefore suggest" wrote the Gov
ernor, that in any bill when is pro
nosed the bona fde property of the
/ producer be exempted from the pro-
vision giving the commission power to
seize and distribute food products"
That was a satisfactory suggestion
to the upstate farmers, who had de-
veloped a big pressure through thelr
representatives in the Legislature
against what they declared might
| amount 10 reckless plundering by a
Z
| sion. With eyes wide open 70 the
! interests of their agricultural con-
stituents. the members of both houses
! who started the grumbling over the
| Governors drastic proposals were
| eager 10 interpret the Governors ac-
| tion as a victory for the farmerh.
| At the same time the Governor made
| Il clear that unless the bill introduced
| nv the committee conformed substan-
/ tiallv with his ideas on the subject
| his own bill would be introduced and
| the battle would be on. lt was MS
/ emnhatic opinion that if the Legls-
/ lature did not approve an unusually
| drastic measure at this time it would
he called upon TO adopt much more
drastic bill within the next six months.
He declared that war conditions would
compel much severer methods wlthln
that time, if such conditions were not
forestalled by present legislation.
Compromise Expected
The Governors concession" how
ever. which went to the heart or the
| chief objection to food control, has
creased the ways for compromise
| bill and checkmated the drive by the
opposition, in the opinion of the mem
bers of the joint committee here to-
| night.
The Governors generosity appealed
| IN the members of the joint commit
tee, and there was a disposition to
Give him something in return. II is
understood they decided to incorpo-
rate the provision for seizure OF prod
! nets from the producer to the extent
| of placing the responsibility, OF such
! action entirely with the Federal au-
| thorities. In other words, II the red
eral food administrator should decide
! The situation demanded this drastic
action the commission would have the
: authority to act on his orders.
Furthermore, with a view to regu-
| loting prices, without fixing maxi
mum or minimum price, the commits
/ sion will be empowered to buy food
nroducts. store them and sell them IN
/ the market in competition with the
/ food producers or commission mer-
chants. This method is expected 70
discourage the spectators and keep
prices within reason.
Farmers Make Demands
| The farmers made their maximum
/ demands on the joint committee TO-DAY
| through Assemblyman Louis NJ. Martin
/ of Clinton County, who presented Ihepi
/ TO Senator Brown. Assemblyman mar
tin gave the impression that the ma,
iority of representatives OF the rurai
I districts in the lower house supported
| him in the demands. lie INSISTED tnat
/ the provision in the bill giving the
mower to- the commission TO hN the
| prices Of any products appropriated oy
/ il should be taken out He suggested
/ that the dean of the Agricultural ooi-
/ lege at Cornell should tx sueh prices
| and in so doing should take into con-
! sideration the farmers investment,
| taxes. the depreciation and value OF
| land the value of fertilizers used and
! the cost of labor.
In figuring the cost of labor, he SAID
that employees should receive the same
| wages as those paid TO the workers oil
| the same sex in munition factories or
other industries in the same district:
! He demanded that all farme&s and
| farmers cooperative societies SHOULD
| he immune against the provision allow
/ ing the commission 10 seize food
| nroducts. This latter demand appar-
/ emily was met by the Governor in his
clarifying letter to Senator Brown.
The Governors suggestion Of COM
mission Of three members will be fol-
lowed by the committee. The question
may be raised, however, as to who shall
appoint the commissioners. the Gov
erpor or the committee. That probably
will be decided at the meeting OF the
full joint committee tomorrow morn
ing. Any names that might be sug-
gested as members of the food commits
sion would be purely guesswork at this
time.
| No White Bread for