Evening star., 1942-02-01
Wickard's S Farm Price
Views Disdppoint
Senate Group
Secretary Indicates
Growers Won't Receive
As Much os They Want
Continued From First Page.) }


Continued From First Page)
down the price Of corn, so that it
would be fed to hogs and other live
stock. In this way it would be pos
Sible to expand the production OF
pork, beef, chickens, eggs. milk and
butter.
Indeed, 1t was said that steps al
ready had been taken which, the
Senators contended, had been aimed
to break the corn market through
sale by the Government of millions
Of bushels Of corn
Some of this corn had been sold to
spectators at prices lower than the
market and they had reaped the
benefit. 1t was explained that this
had been stopped, however, and fu-
ture sales would be made only to
those who intended to use the corn
for feed, for the manufacture OF
industrial alcohol for munitions or
to make meal feed for industrial
sale.
Cotton Plan Deplored.
The Senators also were distressed
to learn that there was plan on
foot to turn over a million or more
bales of Government held cotton to
the mills which would be made into
cloth and relayed to the Army for
use in uniforms, etc.
Just when the Senators from the
Agricultural States had believed that
they had won a victory for the
farmers and that prices for their
commodities would assuredly reach
l10 per cent of parity, or more II
the l919-1929 price level were higher,
the Administration has apparently
pulled the carpet from under their
feet.
They said it was clear the Ad-
ministration had determined to keep
down the prices of foodstuffs, and
that the Secretary of Agriculture
was to be the instrument through
whom this would be done. The
Senators expressed considerable re-
gret that this should be the case.
Moreover, they contended that pro-
visions of the price control act re-
lating to the sale of Government
owned corn, wheat and cotton, were
being violated. Under these provi-
sions, such sales were not to be used
to beat down the market prices,
they said.
Smith Gives His Views.
At the conclusion of the hearing,
Chairman Smith of the committee
said:
II think we have got the situation
TO a point where the farmers won't
suffer any greater loss than they
have already"
He was asked If the committee
would seek any further legislation.
NO" he replied, what we want
Is a PROPER Interpretation of the law,
as it stands. We understand it's
now under study of the legal lights
of the New Deal" '''''
Senator Thomas, Democrat, of
Oklahoma said that the purpose of
the committee was to bring to light
the exact policy of the Administra-
ton so that the farmers would know
precisely where they stood.
"If we can do that, so much the
better" he said.
Commenting on plans for the dis
position of aforementioned cot
ton, Senator Thomas said the mere
talk by Government officials had
already lowered the price $5.25 a
bale. On 100000 bales, he said,
this meant a loss Of about $70,-
100000.
He claimed the farmers were "un-
organized" and had no picket
lines" but warned, however, that on
election day the farmers might have
something to say.
Russell Voices Alarm.
Senator Russell, Democrat, of
Georgia, expressed a fear that the
new price control law might be so
administered that farm prices would
not get above parity, and very likely
might not even reach parity. He
said he believed the Agriculture De-
partment's policy would be to dump
large quantities of cotton and other
commodities on the market.
Senator Bankhead, Democrat, of
Alabama, on the other hand, said
he believed the departments atti-
tude was misunderstood and that it
would be guided by the provisions
of the price control bill. Senator
Bankhead was author of the Bank
head amendment.
The opinion also was expressed in
some quarters that back of the
efforts of the department to keep
down farm prices was the desire
not to have the farmers reach an
economic position when they would
not have to rely on the Federal
Government for aid. If such a con-
dition were reached, it was asserted,
that the farmers would be inclined
to say to the department, "We are
through with your rules and regu-
lations." That in turn would mean
the, ,dismemberment of a large part
of the department with its present
huge personnel.
If the farm prices can be kept
below the ceiling" provided in the
1919-1929 price level or ITO per cent
OF parity, there will be no occasion
for the price administrator ever to
act on farm prices, nor will there
ever be any necessity of referring
decisions on farm prices to the
Secretary Of Agriculture. This, it
was said, would be the result of the
present policy, whether it was in
tended or not.
Aides Explain Wickard's Policies.
AT the Agriculture Department,
aides said Secretary Wickard ex-
planned price policies as follows:
Cotton, wheat and tobacco, the
major surplus crops, will be stabil-
lied at parity.
Corn and other feed crops, includ-
ing wheat cracked for feed, will be
stabilized at around IS per cent of