Evening star., 1934-02-09
By the Associated Press.


Members Of Congress today were
shaping legislation to make sugar a
tasic commodity under the agricul-
tural adjustment act as part of Presi-
dent Roosevelts new sugar program,
sent to Congress in q special message
late yesterday.
Considerable praise was heard, mean
while, for the Chief Executives move
to place sugar quotas at 6 6,452 900 short
tons, provide for a processing tax, pay
benefits to producers for output reduc-
tions and negotiate a new commercial
treaty with Cuba, reducing its tariff.
Some opposition was heard, but
leaders maintained the necessary legis-
lation could be enacted without major
difficulty.
The quotas are of prime importance
to the producing interests which
wrangled over the question most of
last Summer. Preliminary figures for
the areas supplying the United States
were:
United States beet producers, 1,450,-
600 tons; Louisiana and Florida, 260,-
000 Hawaii. $4,000; Puerto Rico,
821 900; Philippine Islands, 1,O37 900;
Cuba, l,944,000; Virgin Islands, 5000.
Free Plan Rejected.
Rejecting for the present, sugges-
tions that sugar be placed On the free
list, Mr.. Roosevelt said inclusion of
sugar cane and sugar beets in the
farm act would enable the processing
tax to be levied on sugar
Senator Costigan, Democrat, of
Colorado, whose State is large sugar
producer, issued q statement which
called the presidential program "one
which makes some help possible for
farmers without increasing the burden
on consumers"
Chairman Harrison of the Senate
Finance Committee said "the Presi-
dents suggestions are wise and con-
Structive" He added he favored the
quota proposals and also new
treaty with Cuba that might give
to those afflicted people a greater
preferential than they now enjoy
under present treaty arrangements"
Harrison said legislation to carry out
the Presidents sugar plan would be
pushed"
King Dissents.
Senator King of Utah. another
State that is large beet sugar pro-
ducer, said. however, that he was in
clined to disagree with the President"
and that he favored encouraging in
stead of limiting domestic production"
The preliminary and temporary"
quotas proposed by the President are
about 100000 tons below the stabili-
cation agreement total for last year
This pact was rejected by Secretary
Wallace on the grounds it was unfair
to the consumer, and since he did not
have the power to change the allot-
ments. the agreement was scrapped.
A. ]. S. Weaver, head Of the admin
istration sugar section. and other ex-
perts who aided Mr.. Roosevelt in
drafting his plan. feel benefit pay
ments to assure both the beet and do
mestic cane growers price approach
ing parity for their product will in
cline the producers to support the
program.
In return for the benefit payments,
estimated at sl8000.0OO or more. the
domestic growers probably will agree
not to expand their acreage above
the average paintings for the past
three years, officials said.
Text Of Message.
The Presidents message follows:
Steadily increasing sugar produc-
ton in the continental United States
and in insular regions has created a
price and marketing situation pre-
judicial to virtually everyone inter-
ested Farmers in many areas are
threatened with low prices for their
beets and cane. and Cuban purchases
of cur goods have dwindled steadily
as her shipments of sugar to this
country have declined
There is a school of thought which
believes that sugar ought to be on
the free list This belief Is based on
the high cost of sugar to the Ameri-
can consuming public
The annual gross value Of the sugar
crop to American beet and cane grow
ers IS approximately 100000 900. Those
who believe in the free importation
of sugar say that the cents
pound tariff is levied mostly to pro-
tect this S60,0000OO crop and that it
costs our consuming public every
year more than 5000, 200 900 to afford
this protection.
Urges Quota System.
do not at this time recommend
placing sugar on the free list 1 feel
that we ought first to try out sys-