The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-07-08

other and might
 sSssE W even be called Rdson a pals, but the or
 ganizations they head operate on two different phil. osophies and there's the rub.
 SMA's function is to remove price, depressing surpluses of farm pro- ducts not covered by AAA. SMA buys the surpluses at the lowest pos- sible prices, takes them of the market, sells them for export, or distributes them to the states for relief of the poor.
 AAA monkeys with only five corn- modities- cotton, corn, wheat, rice and tobacco, and guarantees pro- ducers of these crops will obtain SS per cent of the well known parity price, the flair" price paid to farm CTS from 1909 to 1914 for all crops except tobacco, which has its parity based on the l919-1929 price.
 JUST A LITTLE
 MATTER OF PRICES
 From this all-too- simple explan- ation, it can be. seen that there is 8 fundamental difference in view point. SMA buys at distress prices. AAA despises the idea of distress prices and guarantees high prices to the farmers who play along with its program.
 Threatening to bring the conflict to a showdown is a little measure known as the Gore amendment to the Steagall bill, which has been re- ceiving attention of Congress these last few months. The Steagall bill is a banking bill to prolong the life of the Commodities Credit Corpora tion, and the Gore amendment has nothing to do with banking, but that's the funny way congressmen Sometimes get things done. What the amendment would provide is that no federal funds could be used to purchase agricultural products at a price which is below parity.
 Now the Gore amendment may not get any place, but 1t is import ant because it is an attempt to put over a law that would apply the parity principle to crops other than the big five.
 If general legislation to that of. feet were ever put on the books, 1t would do all sorts of things. It would give the farmers higher prices for everything they raised, which would be nice for the farmers, but it would llnquestionably raise the cost of live ing for others. And 1t would wreck the operations of the Surplus Mar keting Administration, as well as other federal activities like the Commodities Credit corporation and even the food stamp plan.
 It would mean that whenever the government went into the market to buy surpluses for relief or for export, 1t would have to pay full parity prices on everything, prlnes as well as potatoes. Currently, 1t would raise the prices of all the commodities which the government is buying for aid to Britain under the lease-lend act, meats, poultry and dairy products, on which the government has asked farmers to step up production It would cost taxpayers no telling how many more millions of dollars.
 ALBF MEANS
 POLITICAL POWER
 Inspiration for this idea of apply- ing the parity principle to all farm products, not just the big five, now stems principally from the American Farm Bureau Federation which has been advocating full parity for every thing for years. In the last election AFBF went whole hog for Willkie because its leaders thought Rooee. welt wasn't giving enough encotlr- agement to the full parity idea.
 With Willkie's defeat, some poli- tical dopesters thought AFBF was dead, but the organization went right on with its drive for full parity on the five basic crops. and whats more, put it over in what economy congressman from non-agricuitural districts call the greatest grab in the history of the American Con- greSS.
 Today, the Farm Bureau Fedora tion is rated as one of the most in- fluential Hobbies in Washington. AFBF sends telegrams to congress men by the score, and 1t never misses a trick where the farmers interests are concerned. operating on the simple philosophy that with everybody else getting something from the government, the farmer is entitled to his'n.
 It's efforts tend to aid the big farmer more than the little farmer. AAA and the parity program favor the big farmer perhaps 10 to l. SMA, Commodities Credit Corporation, Farm Security Administratic@ look more towards aiding the small farmer. That's where the funda- mental conflict is in the Department of Agriculture.
 UNITED
 STATEsISTICs
 Payroll for the l,662. .000-1nan arm- ed forces runs $96 million 6 month Payroll for the federal govern ment's non-military 1,Sl6.000 em- ployes hits $20l million 6 month Training for defense industries covers 800 special skills, from ab- sorbermen to woodhender Cote ton Textiles Institutes campaign to find new uses for cotton has run domestic consumption up from six to nine million bales The prune surplus of two and e hali times normal consumption has the prune experts stopped Effort to introduce c Yugoslavlan ferEneElta cd prine juice drink nopped Losses of the Commodities Credit