Evening star., 1940-01-30

submitted to Congress this year
BY President Roosepelt, in keep
ing ,Dith effort to hold appopria-
tions doWn DhereDer possible.
The President, hoUeuer, once
more asked halt billion dollars
for soil conservation and $685.
100000 for all agriculture activ-
tiles.
By the Associated Press.
A 20 per cent cut in President
Roosevelt's farm appropriation es-
Inmates was recommended to the
House today by its Appropriations
Committee, raising one of the ses-
sion's toughest political issues.
For the fiscal year beginning July
l Mr.. Roosevelt asked an appropria-
ton of s788,929,519 for the Agricul-
ture Department. The committee
trimmed this by S154530, 1858, chiefly
by slashing s72,678,812 from the sur
plus commodity disposal item, Sat-
975 900 asked for the 1897 Sugar Act
and s25, 900 900 asked for farm ten
ant loans
These and various small cuts
added up to the largest reduction
made in any single major appropri-
alton measure by the committee this
session, despite the fact that senti-
ment for farm spending frequently
is stronger than that for any other
type of expenditure. Congressional
leaders characterize a farm appro-
priation as the TOUGHEST test of an
economy movement in Congress
Permanent Plan Urged.
1t was learned, meanwhile, that
Secretary Wallace, contending that
farmers have oeen subject to the
shifting winds of political senti-
ment." wants Congress to adopt
some permanent scheme of subsidies
which would not be regular fnan-
cial nrain on the Treasury.
He told a House Appropriations
Subcommittee in testimony made
public today that if Congress stops
making annual parity appropria-
tions of more than 100000 900, it
ought to consider the certificate
plan or special taxes
Asserting that no appropriation
can ever be said to be wholly ade-
quate, the committee said in its re-
port to the House.
The current status Of Federal
finances has imposed necessity for
retrenchment and the committee has
endeavored to apply the cuts in this
bill where they would be the least
harmful to the public interest"
Regular Fund Up.
The committee said it had been
advised that the regular fund for
disposal nf surplus commodities-30
per cent of all tariff receipts-would
amount to about s100 900 600 in 1941,
or about s7.5O0,0O0 more than was
available this year.
1t further explained that it felt it
was inadvisable to ask the House to
increase this automatic fund, which
the Senate last year boosted by
s113.000000.
The committee eliminated the
s25 100000 farm tenant loan provi-
sion at the last minute when Repre-
sentative Woodrum. Democrat, Of
Virginia contended that if retained
it would mean less than one project
for each of the 5000 counties in the
country.
Members reported that Repre-
sentative Mahon, Democrat, of Texas
proposed that the committee write a
S225 100000 parity payment item
into the bill, but he was shouted
down.
r. E. A. Salary Item Cut.
The committee also made a $25, 900
reduction in the item for salaries Of
Rural Electrification officials, pri-
marty on the ground that admins
trative promotions had been too
frequent.
AS for the sugar act money, the
subcommittee which prepared the
bill made no comment, but Repre-
sentative Dirksen, Republican, Of
Illinois, who initiated the move to
eliminate the $47,975 900 altogether.
gave two reasons.
In the first place, he said, the
act expires at the end of this year.
In the second place. he said he had
grave doubts" about the whole
sugar program. He recalled that
the Supreme Court invalidated the
original A. A. A. program with its
processing taxes and said such
levy has been imposed on sugar con-
sumers.
In the light of the Supreme Court
decision, Mr.. Dirksen said. Il find
it hard to reconcile myself to that
one exception.
There should either be processing
taxes on all major food commodities
or none on any,"
Parity Payments Refused.
AS forecast by farm bloc leaders,
the committee followed President
Roosevelt's suggestions by refusing
to ask $225 ,000,0 900 appropriation
for parity payments. Last year the
House also refused to make such a
fund available, but reversed itself
on Senate insistence.
The bill contained the usual item
of $498, 900 900 for soil conservation
benefit payments, which have been
appropriated annually since the
Agriculture Departments crop con-
troll programs were initiated.
Other major cuts below the budget
estimates recommended were:
Forest Service, $4,620 900; eradica-
ton of cattle tuberculosis and Bangs
disease, $1.020000; Bureau of Ento-
mology and Plant Quarantine, $873,.
900; Weather Bureau, $605, ,75O; relo-
cation Of the nearby Arlington Ex-
pertinent Farm, $500,000.
Some Work Eliminated.
Regarding the overall cuts in the
bill, the committee declared that
"in conformity with the general
policy Of retrenchment of expend-
ik,,rae %I,o