The Washington times., 1936-01-22
letters PUT ON
M'CARL' SVET0
POWER
Farmers to Collect
$500, 1000, for
Soil Conservation
BY WILLIAM S. NEAL
international News Service

international News Service
The Administration new $780,
100000 two-year farm relief pro-
gram, made public in detail for
the first time today, grants wide
powers to the Secretary of Agri-
culture to make benefit payments
to farmers for soil conservation
purposes.
The bill, Jointly placed before
Congress by Senator Bankhead
Cd of Alabama and Representa-
tive Jones CD of Texas, appar-
emily gives Secretary Wallace al
most as sweeping powers as were
contained in the outlawed AAA.
A striking omission was any
reference to the processing taxes
which brought about the legal
downfall of AAA. The bill au-
thorizes payments out of the gen.
eral treasury.
Aid Buying Power
Despite the Supreme Courts
structures on national control of
agriculture, the new proposal de-
clares as two of the purposes of
the act the re-eStabliShment of
farm purchasing power and fair
prices.
The bill, which amends the soil
conservation act of 1885, gives the
Secretary of Agriculture power to
make payments to farmers in his
discretion based upon:
l. Acreage of soil improving or
erosion preventing crops.
2. Changes in use of land.
3. Acreage of crop land.
4. Percentage of normal produc-
ton of any one or more agricul-
tural commodities designated by
the Secretary of Agriculture that
equals normal national production
of the commodities required for
domestic consumption.
Allows Crop Bounty
Under the terms of the bill,
thus, the Administration can eS-
tablish the domestic allotment or
two-price system, under which
farmers would be paid a bounty
upon crops raised for domestic
consumption, while the surplus
would be sold at world prices.
The bill states that the pro
posed law shall be called Soil
Conservation and Domestic Allot-
ment Act"
BY making conditional pay
nentS to farmers. reduction in
acreage, as practiced under the
AAA, can be carried out. The
Government also can require
planting of certain crops as a
condition to payments.
The bill provides that the AAA
organization shall administer the
new law.
McCarl Fettered
A striking provision was In
serted to prevent Comptroller
General j. r. McCarl from inter
ferring with the program on the
grounds of constitutionality or
other reasons. The bill provides:
Notwithstanding any other
provision of law the action of
any officer or emplOye in de-
termining the amount or in
making any payment under
this act shall not be subject to
review or audit except by the
Secretary of Agriculture"
The act would be effective I'M
til December 81, 1887. 1t is esti-
mated that it's operation will cost
upwards of 500 million dollars a
year so that farmers would re-
ceve substantially the same bene-
fits they received under AAA.
Justification Is Shown
AS justification for the program
the bill declares that depletion of
soil and improper use of soil re-
sources impede the orderly flow
of agricultural commodities in the
channels of trade, endanger the
assurance of an adequate supply
of such commodities at fair price
to producers and consumers, en-
danger the reestabliShment and
maintenance of farm purchasing
power, and otherwise adversely af-
feet the national welfare"
The policy of the act, therefore,
is declared to include preservation
and improvement of soil fertility,
promotion of economic use of land,
reestablishment and maintence of
fair prices and farm purchasing
power.
The bill upon which the pro-
posed new farm program is to be
based is but three pages in length.
The soil conservation act, which
it amends, also grants wide powers
to the Agriculture Department.