Evening star., 1939-12-15
Wallace and Wheeler
Urge Certificate Plan
For Wheat Benefits
=
System Would Put Farm
Aid Financing on q
Permanent Busis
Dy the Associated Press.

Agriculture Wallace and Senator
Burton K: Wheeler, Democrat, Of
Montana, speaking on the same
platform. last night told Farmers
Union convention that proposal to
finance wheat growers benefits
through a system of certificates
would help assure producers of a
fair income.
They agreed, also, that financing
Of the Federal farm program should
be put on a permanent basis, with
out the need of repeated congress
sional appropriations. The certifi-
cate bill, they said, would help do
this for wheat
Mr.. Wallace explained that the
plan would. lin effect, achieve the
economic benefits of the old proc
eessing tax, but simplified man.
ner." Under one plan, he said. CO.
operating farmers would be given
certificates worth a certain number
of cents for each bushel of wheat
produced. Wheat professors would
be required to buy certificates, which
probably would be handled through
a pool, for all wheat processed for
consumption in the United States.
This legislation" said Senator
Wheeler, who spoke Immediately
after Mr.. Wallace, would not be a
panacea. It would not solve the
farm problem. It would offer some
protection against the ravages of
drought and bad years"
On Trade Agreements.
Turning to the reciprocal trade
agreements, the Secretary of Agri-
culture suggested that, if it de-
veloped that the agreements bene-
flted the Nation as a while at the
expense of any certain group within
1t, then it would be only fair and
right for the Nation as a whole to
take measures to Offset such COST"
He explained, in a press confer
ence earlier, that one possible
method of offsetting the cost might
be in adjustment of transportation
rates to give, for example, farmers
in the Midwest transportation equal
ity with South American producers
IN the Eastern Seaboard market.
The reciprocal trade agreement
program, which will expire next
June unless extended by Congress,
benefited American agriculture as
a whole before the European war,
but the world trade picture is "dras-
tically changed" now, Mr.. Wallace
said. LAS long as the war is in
progress. the area in which the
reciprocal trade agreement program
can effectively operate in Europe is
sharply limited"
Because the United States was de-
termined not to become involved in
the European war, he said. I'VE have
chosen to turn our eyes instead to
the new world and build up trade in
this hemisphere.
Argentine Pact Frightens Some.
Mr.. Wallace said that in this
connection a proposed trade agree
ment with Argentina had fright
ened some of our farm people who
feared the United States would be
flooded with Argentine beef, fax,
poultry and dairy products. He said
that because he did not now know
what concessions, If any, would be
made in the agreement, it was "en-
tirely premature for me to comment
on the negotiations. But" he said
II wish to raise the question whether
all the shouting over this particular
issue Is justified. I wish to raise the
question whether both the foes and
friends of the trare agreement
policy have not gone beyond rea-
sonable bounds in this debate"
He suggested that both sides to
this argument reach a reciprocal
understanding of their own He
suggested that, among other things,
opponents of the trade agreements
''confine themselves to facts" and
that friends Of the program show
the farmers they are honestly inter-
ested In the farmers welfare by
giving whole-hearted support" to the
domestic farm program.
Meanwhile, at Washington, Sen
ator Borah. Republican. of Idaho
expressed the view that "the Trade
Treaty Act Is not only unconstitu-
tional, but has proven hurtful to
agriculture"