Evening star., 1942-09-30
Senate Passes
Anti-InfIation
Bi||Compromise
Provides Farm Price
Rise When Labor Cost
Is NOT Included
2, tie As sSociated Press.

SIl ~ iIolu LIE administration S
anti-inf1ation legislation a pro-
vision changing farm parity
standards, inserting instead a
compromise amendment direct
ing the lifting Of farm~price CELL
lngs wherever they did not re-
fleet labor and other cost in
creases since January l. l94l.
The amendment was offered bv
Majority Leader Barkley. The vote
was 86 to 4.
1t would require that an "ade-
ouate wage should be accorded to
farm labor in computing the in
creased costs over those prevailing
on January l. 1o4l, which farmers
have had to bear in producing crops.
Ends Eight-Day Fight.
It's adoption ended an eight -dav
controversy between the admins
tration and the Senate farm bloc
over the terms governing the pro-
posed directive to President Roose-
welt to stabilize prices. wages and
A,' ot A+CDiChlOCl ID levels, so
far as practical
In going along with the revised
barkley proposal, the farm bloc sur
rendered an advantage it gained
yesterday when it forced insertion
into the bill of a provision reouir-
Ing the recalcula ton of present par
1ty standards upward to include
farm labor costs.
A similar amendment. to which
President Roosevelt had said he was
unalterably opposed previously
had been written into the anti-in-
f1ation measure when it passed the
House.
Affects Future Increases.
AS previously drawn, the Bark
ley amendment would require the
President to take farm labor and
other costs into account if ceilings
proved too low, but would fix no date
from which increases could be cal
culated. Farm Senators contended
that only future increases which oc-
Cured after the bill was signed
~o~AN ~ SOiloAdGiC Gu UIldCI us TERMS.
Before Senator Barkley's proposal
could be acted on, Senator Hatch.
Democrat, of New Mexico sought to
amend 1t to provide that the farm
er S cost OF producing his crops must
be taken into account before price
ceilings could be placed over them.
Compromise Proposed.
No one seemed to know exactly
how much this would raise the CELL
ing levels, but administration lead
ers battled the move on the theory
that it would wreck the overall di-
rective to President Roosevelt to
stabilize prices, wages and salaries.
Senator Barkley had hoped to
oHer his compromise in par
llamentary form requiring that it be
voted on without amendment. as
substitute for the farm bloc proposal
which the Senate adopted tempo
rarlly yesterday to alter the present
basis OF computing parity prices to
include farm labor costs.
Battle Likely on Amendment.
Parity is a price at which the
relationship of farmers crop re-
turns would be equalized with the
price they paid for other commodi-
Ties. Under terms of the bill. farm
price ceilings could not be fixed
below parity,
A ruling by Vice President WAL
lace, however laid the Barkley pro-
posal open to the Hatch amend
ment, and Senator Brown, floor
manager for the bill, said he frankly
didn't know whether the latter could
be beaten or not.
senator Brown said informal ad-
mlnlstratlon canvass indicated that
III Senators who joined the ma
]or1ty In voting. 48 to 43. Yesterday
10 revise parity standards were pre-
pared to switch to support of the
barkley compromise as a substitute
1or the farm bloc proposal.
Bloc Ready for Vote.
Conceding that this might be true
Senator Thomas said he and other
iarm State members were concen-
ratlng their fight on getting the cost
OF production for farmers.
We're ready to vote on the oues-
ton any time he told reporters
Its simple question whether the
farmers are going to get back out
OF their crops the cost of growing
them. I don't believe the country
VIII support anything less than
that"
1T Is still possible to get it to the
White House in time on October l."
Senator Barkley said, referring to
President Roosevelts request for
congressional action by that date
If we get it there by midnight
Thursday we will have met the dead
line all right"
Downey First Speaker.
Senator Downey, Democrat. of
California, vigorous proponent of
the cost of production theory, who
held the floor last night when the
Senate quit two hours later than
usual, had the right of way as the
first speaker today.
The Senate adjourned only after
Senator Barkley had made futile at
tempts, first, to hold the group in
session until it could pass finally on
the bill and, later, to obtain an
agreement to limit debate.
Finally, shortly after O'Clock. the
majority leader conceded that tenn
pers were becoming so frayed that
little progress could be made and he
moved recess until today, which
was promptly taken.
Senator Barkley, in a tense two
hour speech yesterday, said he was
supporting the administration COM
promise through desire to preserve
I the legislative process. If Con-
gress enacts bill which the Presi-
dent finds he must Veto he said
then Congress will either have to
| abandon the legislation or eat
crow by going out and passing leg
islation which the President will
accept"
Sharply, Senator Wheeler, DEM
ocrat. of Montana retorted TT is a
shocking argument that we must
vote for this bill whether we agree