Evening star., 1942-09-23
Administration
Rallies 10 Halt
Farmb|ocRevoIt
Agricultural Leaders
Confident of Victory
On Pority Change
By the Associated Press.


Openly confident of victory,
congressional farm bloc forces
today pressed their drive to write
higher farm parity ceilings into
the anti-inflation bill, a move
toward which President Recse-
velt has expressed "unalterable
opposition.
Administration leaders in the SEN
ate. apparently taken aback by yes
terday's surge of support for the
parity change, made hasty overnight
canvass for votes.
Farm State lawmakers want tha
increased cost of hired farm labor
taken into account in computing
parity prices. This is not done
under present law and is important
IN the pending bill because that
measure provides that farm price
ceilings may not be set lower than
full parity, or the highest price be-
tween January and September IS
OF this year, whichever is higher.
parity level is level calcu-
lated to give the farmers the same
ratio between the prices of the
things they sell and those they
buy which prevailed In a favor
able past period, in most cases
1909-1N.
Passage, 2 to 1, Predicted.
Were going to pass this amend
ment 2 to l." predicted Chairman
Smith Of the Senate Agriculture
Committee He added he thought
the vote would come today.
A similar amendment was being
prepared on the House side by
Chairman Fulmer of the House
Agriculture Committee.
THE prospect of the passage of
this very fair amendment looks ex-
tremely good" Mr.. Fulmer said.
Those who represent labor and
consumers of the industrial districts
are beginning to realize that short
production will come more nearly to
destroying wage earners and con-
sumers than increased production at
fair prices"
Glum but not despairing, the
Presidents leaders in the Senate
were ready to present their side
OF the argument. To persuade wa
vering votes, they were ready to
cite Mr.. Roosevelt's letter of Thurs
day to the chairmen of the Senate
and House Banking Committees, in
which ne wrote:
II should like to make clear nv
unalterable opposition to any re-
computation of parity at this time.
In my message Of September TT
stated, in computing parity, we
should continue to use the compu-
tation of the Bureau of Agricul-
tural Economics made under the
law as it stands today This will
continue to be my policy"
Losing Labor to War Plants.
The President said the parity
principle had proven q good stand
ard for peace time and was a good
one for war.
The nub Of the farm bloc arsu-
ments was that farmers are losing
labor to the war plants, and that
unless they are given higher prices
for their products they will not be
able to compete in the labor mar
ket and the Nation may face a
paralyzing food shortage.
The Office of Price Administra-
ton estimated that under the new
parity formula proposed by the farm
bloc the cost of living would in
crease by $4,000, ,000, 900 to 50 SOC, ,0O0,-
600, or a jump of to S per cent
in the index
The announced purpose Of the
administrations anti-inflation bill
is to effect general stabilization OF
prices, wages and other factors in
the cost Of living, on the basis Of
September Is levels.
Under committee amendment,
the President could modify farm
price ceilings to take into account
increased labor costs. This pro-
vision was not strong enough to suit
lawmakers from farm States; they
demanded specific recognition Of
the increased wages of farm help.
Floor at 900 Of Parity.
Both the House and Senate bills
propose establishment of a floor
under farm prices at 80 per cent
of parity, supported by Government
loans
AS for wages, the Senate bill pro-
vides that no employer shall pay
and no employe shall receive wages
or salaries ''in contravention of the
regulations promulgated by the
President" There is further pro-
vision that except in cases OF gross
jneqmties wages shall not be re-
duced below the highest level paid
between January l and September
Is for any particular kind Of work.
The wage section of the House
bill, as reported by the Banking
Committee, provides that mo en-
ployer shall pay, and no employe
shall receive, any further increases
in wages or salaries unless approved
by the President or such agency as
he may designate" but 1t is In
operative with respect to wages
and salaries which have not reached
a IS per cent increased cost of living
level above the wages or salaries
paid on January l, 1941."
Ornaments ropfopd tbis r,~>,I.,