Evening star., 1939-04-02
Problem Of Farmer
Leaps 10 Fore
With Congress
Friends Present Three
PIons to AmeIiorote
'DepIorobIe' Condition
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Inc laTm prOOlem mas leapeQ 10
the fore In big way in Congress
during the last week.
This problem. coupled with that
Of relief. promises the legislators
plenty of work and grief during the
rest Of the present session-and
during the session which opens in
January. 1910.
Friends OF the farmer in Con-
gress are seeking three ways to
ameliorate his present condition,
which despite all the efforts of the
present administration is still de-
clared to be deplorable.
First, they are seeking to imple-
ment by appropriations the existing
provisions of law calling for parity
payments to the farmers on five
major. exportable crops, cotton,
wheat, corn, tobacco and rice.
These payments would be direct
subsidies paid to the farmers who
produce these crops.
Price-Fixing Feature.
Second, they are seeking, through
the Frazier-Lemke cost of produc-
ton bill" to bring about a govern
mental price-fixing arrangement:
for all agricultural crops which
move In interstate and foreign COM
merce with value of $4,000, 900
year. Prices would be fixed by the
Secretary of Agriculture for that
portion OF the agricultural crops
consumed in the United States,
according to formula contained in
the bill, and the exportable surplus
would be sold on the world markets
at whatever prices it would bring.
Third, they are seeking through
the Bankhead bill to relieve the
present situation due to the .3OO,-
600 bales of cotton now under Gov
eminent loan. which hang like the
sword OF Damocles over the cotton
market.
A few days ago the House turned
back the drive for an appropriation
Of $250.000,000 for parity payments,
which the farmers representatives
sought to have inserted in the an
| nual Agriculture Department appro-
prlatlon bill. The vote was exceed
ingly close. and an effort is to be
made to place the appropriation in
the bill during its consideration in
the Senate. Already there is talk
OF log rolling between the friends
OF the farm subsidy and the Sen
ators representing big industrial
States who favor big appropriations
for relief of industrial workers.
Attempts to employ these tactics
failed in the House.
The agricultural appropriation
bill is now before Senate appro-
priations subcommittee, headed by
Senator Russell, Democrat. of Geor-
gla. Hearings on the measure will
not be begun for another week, in
all probability In the meantime.
the w. p. A. 100000, 900 relief bill
will have been reported and may be
acted upon in the Senate.
May Delay Coalition.
The coalition between farm SEN
ators and those seeking large relief
funds may be delayed, it is said,
until the President sends his esti-
mates to Congress for relief expen-
ditures for the new fiscal year be-
ginning July l. If the parity pay
nent appropriation has not been put
through before that time, it is be-
lieved q strenuous effort will be
made to tie 1t on to the relief bill.
More Immediately. the Senate is
to wrestle with the cotton problem
major section of the entire farm
problem. The Bankhead bill is the
unfinished business of the Senate
and will come before that body to-
morrow.
The Senators from Cotton States,
many of whom are strongly op-
posed to the export subsidy plan
advanced by the President and
Secretary of Agriculture Wallace to
deal with the cotton surplus held
under Government loan. are strong
ly backing the Bankhead bill.
This measure proposes that the
Government shall turn over to
cotton farmers who participate in
the 1889 agricultural conservation
program. under existing law. some
of this surplus cotton-not more
than 100000 bales all told-at a
price of 3 cents pound. The farmer
may then do with the cotton as
he wishes. except that he may not
place it under Government loan.
For the amount of this surplus
cotton that the farmer receives, he
will agree to reduce his acreage
planting. In other words. the crop
planting for 1889 is to be curtailed
by the acreage, which would produce
5000 900 bales of cotton.
George Is Interested.
Senator George. Democrat, of
Georgia, who is strongly interested
in the Bankhead bill and just as
strongly opposed to the Presidents
export subsidy plan. insists that
the Bankhead bill, If enacted, will
solve the problem of the present
surplus, will help to curtail the cot
ton production for next year and
will aid the cotton farmers them
selves financially.
Senator George also insists that
the export subsidy plan is desired
only by the export buyers of cotton.
No such plan should be put into
effect, if ever. he says, until after a
cotton marketing year has expired
and only after due notice to the cot
ton industry that it is coming. To
do otherwise, he contends, would be
great injustice to the millers and
others who have cotton stocks in
this country, purchased at prices
averaging cents pound.
If the Rankhead bin becomes law,
Senator George estimates the crop
planted for 1899 will produce be-
tween eight and nine million bales,
instead Of between II and II mil
lion.
The Frazier-Lemke bill. which has
been reported favorably to the Sen
ate, also deals with cotton. In its
operation, 1t is really a huge export
subsidy. For that reason, some of
the Southern Senators are looking
n 81 NM Of ~