Evening star., 1936-04-03
Big Subsidy.

A little light on the payment Of large
sums by the Agricultural Adjustment Ad-
ministration to benehciaries under the
A. A. A. is entirely justihable-and nee.
essary. Senator Vandenberg of Michigan
has asked that Secretary Wallace dis
close payments of $4,000 and over. In
making his request he has told the Sen
ate he has information indicating that
one beneficiary received as a subsidy
from the Government $219,825 in two
years for not raising 1887 hogs on AS
acres of land. He has. he said, informa-
ton showing that $168,0o0 was paid by
the Government to another beneficiary
for not planting 1000 acres of cotton. And
a wheat farmer, he said, collected $7S,638
in two years for not growing wheat.
Secretary Wallace has taken the stand
that it would require an enormous
amount Of work to comply with the re-
quest of Senator Vandenberg, and also
that the benefciaries under the A. A. A.
should have protection" from CONNER
cial people and politicians, according to
the newspaper reports. However, Senator
Vandenberg has disclosed now that all
the information could be obtained from
the Division of Disbursements in the
Treasury Department, which has re-
tanned the punch cards" showing these
payments. Ten operators working for a
week or two could dig out all the in
formation. So the plea that it would be
an enormous task made by the Secretary
appears to be not justified. So far as the
Secretary's declaration that benef1ciaries
who have received subsidies of $4,000 or
more from the Federal Government
should be protected" there seems no
justification at all. If Government SUBJ
sides are to be paid to any one there
should be the fullest publicity at all times.
The A. A. A. was written into law on
the theory that the American farmer
should have fair break; that he
should be permitted to earn fair living.
There was no suggestion that huge pay
ok1Ob4O bC A14odC O4 WO04o w 4AAoNS
to individual farmers. If Senator VAN
denberg is correct, such payments have
been made Undoubtedly Congress would
not look with favor upon the continuance
of such payments under the new farm
aid law. 1t might write into the law
provision grading the rate Of payment
according to the size Of the farming op-
Grafton, with the higher rate going to the
farmer who operated on small scale and
the lower rate to the farmer who op-
Grated on huge scale.
Obviously, If many large payments
have been made to individual beneflci-
aries and if banking houses have reaped
benefits from these agricultural pay
ments directly, as charged by the Mich
igan Senator, the publication Of these
facts may prove embarrassing to the Sec
retary of Agriculture and the administra-
ton. The farmers who have received the
small and average payments from the
Government are not likely to smile with
approval at the payment of such sums as
indicated by Senator vandenberg. There
is an election in the ofing. But, en-
barassing or not. there should be no con-
cealment of the payments of Government
subsidies.
Senator Vandenberg has put his re-
quest for information in the form Of a
resolution. He has been assured that his
resolution will have its day in the SEN
ate. Now that the matter has been
brought into the nmelight, 1t does not
seem possible that the Senate will reject
the demand for information.
Extreme economists may try to bring
up inquiry as to why the President
.L.,,Il ,a;I for ouoy u,itt, rod ond limo