Evening star., 1940-01-25
Farm Organizations
Split on Continuance
OF Trade Treaties
Form Bureau Books
Reciprocal Program;
Grange Opposes It
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Two large farm organizations split
squarely today on whether the
reciprocal trade program helps or
hinders agriculture.
Edward A. ONeal, president of
the American Farm Bureau Fed
Grafton, submitted this argument to
the House Ways and Means Com
mittee:
Careful analysis fails to disclose
any measurable injury to American
agriculture. = 3" The Government is
attempting to regain foreign mar
kets SO that farmers can produce
more at profitable prices"
Grange Stand Differs.
On the other hand, there came
this contention from l.. J. Taber,
master of the National Grange:
ut does not make sense to pay hun
dreds of millions of dollars annually
to American farmers to reduce acre
age and production and then enter
into trade agreements with other
nations making it easier for them to
swamp and glut our markets with
competitive commodities.
Mr.. ONeal asked the committee
to approve proposal to extend the
trade program three years beyond
its June IL expiration date; Mr.
Taber opposed extension and urged
termination of all trade agreements
now in force.
Injury to Farmers Claimed.
Mr.. Taber asserted that the pacts
already negotiated. had hurt agri-
culture since "the tariff has been
reduced on more than 200 items
coming under the agricultural
schedule" He added:
Referring specifically to some of
these commodities we reduced the
duty on cattle, swine. pork, bacon,
grains, cereal products, milk, cream,
cheese, eggs, potatoes and a long
list of fresh vegetables, canned or
preserved vegetables, fruits, nuts
and other competitive agricultural
products.p
Mr.. Taber said the duty on eggs
had been reduced from 10 to S
cents per dozen in the Canadian
agreement and the concession gen.
eralized to the rest of the world. In
the meantime, he said, the cumu-
lative purchases of eggs by the Sur
plus Commodities Corp. amounted
to 3O,289,020 dozens.
Surplus Problem Cited.
The duty on apples was reduced
from Is to Is cents per bushel, the
Grange chief continued, while the
Surplus Commodities Corp. has pur-
chased more than 9,000,000 bushels
in an effort to get rid ia surplus
and stabilize the price.
Mr.. ONeal opposed suggestions
that Senate ratification be required
for trade agreements if the program
is continued beyond its present ex-
piration date in June.
Senate ratification of trade agree
ments would mean return to the
old system of rolling" he said.
I'VE might as well repeal the law
altogether as have that"
Mr.. O'Neal said the farmers
painful experience with the Smoot-
Hawley Act demonstrated to them.
once and for all, that higher tariffs
were not the solution to their sur
plus problem.
Peek Charges Deception.
The Farm Bureau Federation, Mr..
ONeal explained, is supporting the
agricultural adjustment program as
well as the trade agreements plan.
He said that the two programs
actually dovetail together in work.
ing toward the objective of bringing
parity to the American farmer
However, George N. Peek, one
time farm administrator and trade
adviser in the New Deal, charged
yesterday that whoever was respon-
sible for administering the reciprocal
trade treaty law had practiced fraud
and deception upon Congress.
Declaring the act had been used
to effect a general tariff reduction,
Mr.. Peek contended that Congress
had had no such purpose in mind
when it authorized reciprocal trade
agreements with other nations.
Meanwhile II women's organiza-
tions meeting here in the 18th an
nual Conference on the Cause and
Cure of War adopted a peace pro-
gram urging renewal of the act