The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-03-06
No Grab for Profits.
Holding That Fort.
Must Have Floor.
1t Was Tough on Him.
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Way back yonder, twenty years o
more, the Corn Belt committeeman
lily composed of Farmers Union folk
was created to get the U. S. congress
Ito see and the consumers of the coun
try to know that the best interests
of democracy are served by assuring
a fair price to farmers and the main
tenance of the family-type farm. Tha
lis the basic principle of the Farmers
Union today, from which it has never
deviated or departed. AS farm
group it has never sought more thar
fair prices, which, of recent years
have come to be known as parity
prices" We have ever insisted thai
farmers must not receive less. We
lative Committee has declined to take
part in any attempt to grab temporary
war profits and thus risk the loss OF
our longtime and cherished goal. The
Farmers Union seeks only parity for
farmers with other groups, such as
labor, industry, comerce and finance.
| For holding and defending that posi-
ton, as General Macarthur and his
men hold and defend Bataan, criticism
arises from several sources-not many
and we did receive some endorse
ments. We are attacked on one flank
for not supporting Sen. O'Mahoney's
amendment to the recently enacted
Price Control law That amendment
related to farm parity prices, with a
percentage Of the labor index for
prices. That meant spiraling prices
and eventual initiation. Our group
did not oppose the house provision
which barred ceilings below 10 per-
cent of parity. Some consumers may
construe 10 percent of parity as u.s.
ury The Farmers Union opposed the
amendment that would permit prices
to go to 80 percent above parity. 1t
supported the provision that the Sec
rotary of Agriculture have veto power
set by a price administer on certain
commodities. 1t supported the Presi-
dent in that there should be single
administrator, with the check of the
veto by the Secretary of Agriculture
over prices on farm products. That
was just part of the Farmers Union
fight for fair prices-which are par
ity prices.
In all this strange struggle the
Farmers Union groups, in statements
to congress and to the President, kept
harping that the weakness of Price
Control is that no floors are provided
for surplus commodities. If a "ceil-
ing" of $40. bushel were fixed on
wheat it does not mean a price of
$40 for our wheat growers. If
floor" of $1.35 bushel were fixed,
that wheat grower would know, al
most for the first time, that the price
could never be lower than that floor
and what parity price is. That is
what the Farmers Union asks.
But there is no pleasing everybody. |
The dairy people are no contented be-
cause the Farmers Union groups sup
ported the Bankhead bill-passed Feb
ruary 25 by the senate 1t puts a
floor under surplus commodities. Now |
he President threatens to veto the |
bill If he does-it is because the |
Vice President and the Secretary of |
Agriculture have failed to inform him
accurately as to what is involved.
Some weeks ago the Commodity
Credit Corporation began to move sur
illus wheat to the dairy and live stock
PRODUCERS. The CCC could not pro-
ect the wheat farmers, who were I'M
BILE to put their wheat under loan
because adverse weather made the
rain a grade wrich could not qualify
or a loan. But the CCC sold mil
ions of bushels of sound, milling
yheat-at a tremendous loss to the
overnment-which was pretty tough
n the farmer who had off-grade
,heat and who watched his govern
lent sell wheat at cut price, which
uined the open cash market for his
IL dQO WaC1I anu CObL I'LL oil VI |
DC a bushel
The Farmers Union and the Nation
Federation of Grain Co-ops try to !
g fair with all segments of agricul- l
ire. They play no favorites. To be
ertain of their footing, President s
alton of the Farmers Union called L
le national family together at Kan q
Is City, February 10 and 20, and M.
:. Thatcher, president of the Nation q
Federation of Grain Co-ops called I
at group together on the same dates 1
i'd in the same city. Both groups, g
ter studying the disparity to grain Z
oducers, caused by the arbitrary ac- G
IN of the federal government, unani- I
ously decided to support the Bank .
'ad bill, just passed by the senate,
nich prohibits the government from "
ling agricultural products below U
rity prices. The longtime philos- q
by of these two agricultural groups, G.
Gently again enunciated in their ie
st statement to congress on the
ice Control law, their opposition to el
Q O'Mahoney proposal and their
pport of the Bankhead bill repre- g
Mt a consistent position through II
is period. They support the Ever es
,rmal Granary. They were among Ii
3 first to advocate moving surplus al
leat into feeding channels. But tt
Continued ON Page Three) tt