The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-09-24
SENATE STANDING
 PAT ON INITIATION
Continued from Page D

Senator Elmer Thomas, D., Okla, sponsor of the disputed amendment, said the Senate Agriculture Com mittee had voted unanimously, with about 13 members present, to reject a new compromise suggested by Senate Democratic Leader Alben w. Barkley of Kentucky. Barkley pro- posed to rephrase language already in the bill directing President Roosevelt to make adjustments in maximum price ceilings for farm products wherever reason of in- creased labor or other costs to the producers of such commodities the maximum prices will not reflect such increased costs" s9
 Instead, the farm blcc I'll insist on the Thomas amendment reQllir- ing that in the fixing of maximum price ceiling at parity, permitted under the price stabilization bill, the parity computation include "ail farm labor-that of the farmer and his family as well as his hired hands.
 Thomas said the farm forces had enough votes to put the amendment in the bill, as the house did yester- day, 205 to 172, before passing the measure.
 Thomas and other farm bloc lead- CTS previously had walked out of a meeting called by administration strategists.
 Senate Republican Leader Charles l.. McNary of Oregon said no agree ment had been reached at the meet ing, but that further meetings might be held later in an attempt to compose farm bloc -administra- tion differences.
 Administration leaders remained in conference after the farm bloc left, however, and were reported to be preparing 8 new compromise amendment which they would offer on the floor today in. an attempt to wean euough votes away from the farm bloc to defeat the Thomas amendment.
 This compromise amendment was understood to be provision direct ing the President to raise farm price ceilings to compensate for in- creased labor costs. The language of the Senate bill now authorizes, but does not direct, the chief execu- tive to revise farm price ceilings up- ward to account for rising farm la- bor costs if it is clearly shown that gross inequities" would otherwise result.
 Thomas amendment provides for the inclusion of all labor costs the farmers own labor and that of his family as well as hired labor costs-in computing parity.
 He told reporters after leaving the meeting he was confident that the President would. not veto the bill if it included this amendment He implied that Senate .administra- ton spokesmen were using the threat of a veto as 8 "club" to dis suade the farm bloc from its pur- poses.
 Congress has only one week tC act on anti-inflation legislation President Roosevelt's deadline tc Congress = ''You-do-it-or-T-wilr'- is Oct. 1, a week from today.
 The bill m1re than likely will be on his desk by that date. But pres ent prospects are that 1t will be such an emasculated version of the price. wage and salary control au- thority he requested that 1t will bt vetoed. Mir. Roosevelt has expressed his unalterahle opposition to chang. ing the farm parity formula.
 Sen. Prentiss M. Brown, D.. Mich. manager of the Senate bill. charged that pressure groups had persuaded "a very large number of senator's to vote for the farm bloc's version and deplored the fact that con. sumers and "the great majority oi farmers" were not organized ts bring similar pressure against it.