The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-05-07
TheCO-OPTIMlST
of the F. u. c.. T. A.
Convoy Is Needed
On Guard at Capitol
Penalty Increased
For the Duration
War Impact on Vote?

War Impact on Vote
What the farmer needs right now is
a convoy for the farm legislation now
somewhere off the banks of Green
land, in the troubled waters of Con
gressional sea of uncertainty. Back
there on April 3, the senate passed
the agricultural appropriation bill.
with it's increases in appropriations
for parity payments, for Farm Secur-
ity loans and for Surplus Commodity
purchases. On that day the senate
also named its conference committee
to sit with a similar committee from
the house to adjust differences be-
tween the bill that the house passed
and the amendments made by the
senate. Having returned from its
Easter vacation, the house, on April
| II, named it's conference committee.
You would think they'd be getting
| together and arriving at some com
promise. But here, on the floor of
the senate on April 20, complaint is
voiced that, after four weeks, no meet
| ing of the committee has been called
and nothing has been done The in
ference, to those who have watched
the back stage of congress, is that the
time is needed for log-rolling and
trading and that, until deal" is
patched up = the appropriations for
farm aid will be fog-bound
Meantime, to give appearance to
agricultural activity, hearings are be-
ing held by the house committee on
agriculture on the Farmers Union In
president of the F. U. of North Da-
kota; Tom Cheek, president of the
Oklahoma F. U. and NJ F. Dickinson,
president of the Arkansas F. u, ably
backed by Robert Handschin, our
Washington resident secretary, are on
guard to present the Farmers Union
side of the case. For the time being,
Chairman Thatcher is detained in ST.
Paul by some litigation which in
wolves the interests of the Farmers
Union Grain Terminal Association, of
which he is General Manager and
WlllCu lnuoL nave LIS pcISOudl dll6l-
ton.
On April 20, the house with every
evidence of activity, amended the
AAA act of 1888, so as to increase
the loan basis of wheat and cotton
to rs percent of parity. This-if the
senate accepts the measure = would |
give the wheat producer loan value |
of about 20 cents more a bushel than |
he got last year. Last year the loan
value was Sc percent of parity-and |
parity is $1.13. But last year, if
producer exceeded his quota, he was
penalized Is cents a bushel. The
measure which the house has just |
passed increases the penalty to SO |
percent This is calculated to throw |
a slight chill over those who have
been exceeding their quota, or who
also barred from certain of the bene-
fits in the existing law
That, it was argued by opponents,
to RECOMMENDATION of the
wheat and cotton producers. R. NJ
Evans, head of the AAA, has pointed
)ut that, unless these marketing
quotas are applied wheat will drop
% 25 or 80 cents a bushel. Mr.
Thatcher, in a recent release-written
before the house acted-said: "Regi-
nented wheat programs are here for
several years, because l guess that
he conflict, (that is the present
World War; will last for few years"
He anticipates that our navy, in both
oceans, will be drawn into the war
n the next three or four months.
Hence the rs percent of parity price
oan is given to put a floor under
wheat prices for the duration" !
Regardless of the higher loan value
# wheat, there are quite a number
Il wheat producers whose allotment {
S from % to 70 acres who will be S
adly pinched by the so percent pen l
lty, should they exceed their quota
N effort was made by Cong. Burdick
0 permit the use of wheat in excess
t quota for feed on the farm for !
vestock and poultry, but the house
oted it down, Sc to 40 That vote
ut of a total membership of 435,
ather seems to reiterate the demand
)r the need of a convoy for farm
egislation. The SO were psesent and s
where were the 339 who i
hould have been on the job-and v
-ere not? 1T is the impact of the 8
var that drives the federal govern a
lent to quota system" says Mr. {
hatcher. Right enough-but is there
o impact of war that will keep a rs
ercent quota of congressman in their
eats to vote on a farm bill of such
Importance? The American farm
imily deserves better consideration d
ian that and, in the end, it will get Q
or else.