The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1942-10-08


Presidents request to freeze farm
prices at parity, instead of at lie
per cent of parity as provided in
the price control act, has clearly
demonstrated that. there is nc
hope of getting congress to drop
politics, even in the face of ma
tional catastrophe.
Grave doubts as to the ability
Of our representative form of gov
eminent to serve the best interests
of the nation during this war
period have been expressed by
many who have followed this
measure.
The most severe criticism Of
congress has grown out of these
considerations:
l. Congress used the Presidents
request for freezing of the price
Of food as an opportunity to try
to put through legislation which
would send food prices even high
er than they were permitted to
go under previous legislation.
z. Congressman from rura
areas showed that they were en-
tirely under the thumb of farm
lobbyists and would make no
move without the permission of
these men.
3. Although warned of the dan
gers of politically inspired clash
between congress and the Presi-
dent during these times, the house
Of representatives ignored the con-
sequences in it's determination to
please farm leaders in this pre-
election period.
4. Congress showed its disre-
gard of the people as a whole, by
attempting to enact legislation
which, although of some doubtful
benefit to the farmer, wuld cost
the public from three to four
billion dollars year in increased
cost of living-an amount equal
to the increased taxes to be paid
next year.
Although these criticisms have
been leveled at congress from
many sources, anyone who listen
ed to the debate on this contro-
versial measure could see that the
farm bloc ''had case" The case
was this: the supply of farm labor
is becoming dangerously scarce.
The ranks of farm labor are being
thinned both by men being called
into the armed service and by
men seeking more lucrative jobs
in war production industries. To
keep men on the farms it will be
necessary to raise farm wages and
the farmer must get higher prices
in order to pay increased wages.
All analysts of the situation are
in agreement that the farm labor
problem is acute, but there are
few outside of congress and the
farm lobbyists who see higher
food prices as a solution to this
situation. It has been pointed out
by economists that an increase OF
10 or Is per cent in farm wages
would still not be enough to at
tract labor back to the farm and
that the only real solution will be
through the Man Power commits
sion which must work out plan
for drafting farm help.
AS a result of this clash be-
tween congress and the President,
it is expected that the President
will become more and more hest
tant about taking matters to con-
gress and will exercise all of his
war powers to dictate future pro-
grams. The President made it
clear, before asking congress for
this legislation, that he believed
he had the power to enforce food
price freezing without legislation.
It is therefore natural to assume
that in similar instances in the
future he will refrain from re-
ferring to congress matters on
on which he can act without con-
gressional approval.
Plans for winter rationlng are
now being worked out by the OF
flee of Price Administration and
it is expected that several addl-
tional items will soon be added
to those on which rationing al
ready has been announced.
The rationing of meat came as
somewhat of surprise in year
when the country had produced
more meat that at any time in
history, but the demands of the
army and of other nations, plus
the increased purchase Of meat
by the people of this country,
made a degree of rationing seem
essential. The 21a pound-per-
person ration actually is equal to
the amount of meat which the
average person in this country
usually eats, but during the past
two years the consumption has
increased by a pound per person.