Evening star., 1935-09-27
PACKERS DEMAND
END TO HOG PLAN
A. A. A. Reduction Program
Now Unnecessary, Woods
Tells Officials.

Declaring the emergency on which
the administration hog -curtailment
program was based no longer exists.
the American Institute of Meat Pack
ers today called for abolition Of the
A. A. A. corn-hog reduction plan,
including its processing tax.
The demand was voiced by William
Whitfield Woods of Chicago. president
of the institute. at a hearing in the
Willard Hotel arranged by Secretary
Wallace with a view to determining
the necessity for further reduction
measures.
Woods, in discussing the effect of
the curtailment program on employ
ment this year, declared that had this
years supply of hogs been equal to
that of 1888. $4,000 additional work
ers could have been employed at wages
aggregating s40,000000.
Continuance Is Hit.
Under present conditions. he as
serted, to attempt limitation Of pro-
duction and continue the processing
tax would seem indefensible from the
standpoint of good Judgment. interest
of the consumer. interest Of the swine
grower and of fidelity to the spirit
and intent enacted into the agricul-
tural adjustment act"
Previously in the hearing, which be-
gan yesterday. farmers had asked for
continuance Of the program and con-
sumers' representatives had registered
a plea for lower pork prices, whatever
program is adopted.
Woods said the Governments hog
reduction program and the drought
combined to bring about the scarcity
of pork.
I'VE respectfully submit" he said,
that at this time there should be no
new program of limitation and con-
tinuance of the processing tax. To
maintain hog values where they are
now would mean to maintain a
scarcity situation and to indorse the
drought The emergency is over so
far as any surplus of hogs is con-
cerned.
There is no surplus. There is no
disparity between hog prices and
prices of commodities the farmers buy
except in the sense that hog prices
are above the prices Of such commodi-
ties. In the pork-packing business
there is a special emergency threat
ening the existence of many small
packing businesses. The department
faces a decision whether to destroy
them or to permit them to continue" "
The viewpoint of the consumers was
tives Of the Consumers Council. The
cry unanimously was for lower pork
prices.
Mrs. John Boyle, jr., chairman Of
the Consumers Council Of Washing
ton, representing about 10000 con-
sumers in the District, indorsed the
purpose of the adjustment program.
but warned against "the same mis-
takes" that resulted In failure of
N. r. A.
Mrs. Boyle presented statistics show
ing that Washington consumers during
1885 paid 3 per cent more for pork
chops, ! per cent more for sliced
bacon and / per cent more for sliced
ham than the average price paid by
other consumers of the country. The
average United States price for chops
was 38.9 cents per pound; for sliced
bacon, 46.2 cents per pound. and
for sliced ham, 533 cents per pound.
In 1892, the low point of the depres-
sion. Mrs. Boyle testified, Washington
housewives paid 22.9 cents for pound
of pork chops, whereas the price on
September 10 of this year was Ala
cents.
Purpose Seen Defeated.
II believe the consumer thinks the
farmer is entitled to q fair price for
his commodity" she said. "In the in
terest Of all interested parties and
certainly Of the consumer, the con-
sumer must be taken into considera-
ton In any contract the A. A. A. may
make in any farm commodity neces-
sary to human existence. If the prices
rise to what seems an unreasonable
level, the whole program will be de-
feated. A balance must be struck in
q Just relation to the consumers abil-
ity To purchase"