Evening star., 1933-08-13
DA|RYMEN TO GET
MARKETING PLAN
Administrators Drafting
Blanket Agreement to
Increase Returns.

(Copyrieht, 1888, by the Associa ted Press
In an effort to increase the returns
Of tremendous branch of American
agriculture, the Farm Adjustment Ad.
n1inistraticn Is drafting blanket mar.
keting agreement to apply to the Ma.
tions milk distributing industry.
Prepared for ratification by dairy
representatives, the proposal is in
tended to provide relief for milkmen tc
Offset rises in producing costs, particu-
larly Of feed, as a result OF the drough,
IN large grain and hay producing areas
1t Is the answer Of administrators tc
a complaint of dairy interests that the
process Of carrying out the farm act i.
proceeding at too slow q pace"
As the latest development became
known, the National Cooperative Mill
Producers Federation. in a statement
issued by Charles W. Holman. secretary
said that dairy farmers are restive be.
cause Of the slow progress which pro-
posed dairy marketing agreements are
making under the administration Of the
agricultural adjustment act"
Notwithstanding the fact that the
act was signed on May IL, and numer-
Gus applications have been made fol
agreements and a number of hearings
held, to date only one marketing agree
ment has been signed by the Secretary
Of Agriculture" the statement added
1T is the agreement covering the Chi
cago milkshed The result IS that the
actual plight Of the dairy farmer today
Efforts Are Continued.
Administrators also continued effort:
to obtain more money for farmers fol
their products, despite any contract:
they may have entered into wher
prices were lower.
They already have requested tomato
Gamers to increase by Is per cent the
contracts made in advance of the
growing season. The administrators
now are studying the possibilities Of
bringing about higher prices for pear:
on the Pacific Coast and sweet corn
Similar efforts are to be made with
respect to other fruits and vegetables
If growers find their production costs
rising rapidly.
The dairy blanket proposal woule
serve as a substitute pending the
drafting and approval of agreement.
covering individual milksheds. It i.
intended to do the same as Presiden,
Roo6evelt's blanket code, aimed to speec
up increases in wages and reduction
of hours in advance Of the approval
OF individual code agreements for in
dustries.
The milk agreement would affect the
production and handling of the product
throughout the Nation if approved BY
Secretary Of Agriculture Wallace. i
Is aimed tentatively to accomplish two
principal results:
l. To fix prices paid at some pre-.
vious date. possibly June 1, as ths
minimum to be paid farmers by dis.
tributors. with the figure later to bt
adjusted by individual agreement and
in case these cannot be put into ef-
feet rapidly, by fiat percentage in.
crease In minimums
2. To outlaw trade practices which
producers and their organizations con.
tend are having the effect of depress.
ing milk prices and Of challenging pres
ent prices. These include price-cuttine
by distributors, the payment Of rebates
to selected customers and the granting
Of premiums to give some buyers ad-
vantageS over others.
Representatives of producer organi.
cations contend that unless efforts are
made to stabilize milk prices, attempt.
to reduce them to producers may fol.
low the rapid fall in butter prices al
New York and other markets in the
last three weeks. The New York butter
prices fell from 26 cents a pound to Is
during that period
Authority to raise minimum prices ir
each milkshed after a showing wolllc
be possible at any time under the
blanket agreement.
Consideration is being given a pro.
posal that the minimums be boosted
generally through a statistical methoc
which would recognize changes in feec
costs as a result of this years shortage
resulting from bad weather and in.
creases in labor costs to distributors a.
a result of wage boosts following adop.
ton Of codes under the NJ R. A.
Farm living costs as we'll as farm
producing costs both have risen sub
stantially since June IS, the Bureau OF
Agricultural Economics reported
A conference at Chicago on Tuesday
has been called by Holman's organiza.
ton to work out plans for speeding ur
application of the farm act to the dairy
industry.