Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-09-17
Parity Plans
Would Raise
Price Levels
Battle Of Words Hides
Sterilization Myth
By PAUL MALLON

WASHlNGToN' sept IL
w The sham battle of farm
price sterilization wakes warmer,
wholly concealed ON public
view by a mass of such impene-
trable phrases as "farm-wage
parity" and or the h ! & h e t
prices since January l." 100 per
cent parity loans" and such.
The Presi dent speech
sounded to all, save those few
who can read the double and
triple meanings of these terms,
as if he wanted TO freeze farm
prices where they are now.
The farm bloc first rose in
righteous anger, as if he were
proposing TO do something even
more drastic to the prices. They
acted as if he wanted to cut
them down.
The Steagall bloc in the House
is now currently on a rampage
against the Senate bill, pretend
ing it would cut the farmer from
what he should have.
The whole controversy Is
being conducted in such a way
to keep the public oblivious of
the fact that all their proposals
- the Presidents, the Senate's
and Steagall'S - would actually
increase current farm prices.
YOU never find that out until
i you cut your way through
the fancy verbiage of the con-
troversy, and ascertain the pre-
else effect this proposed "stabili-
cation" would have on each
basic commodity price now.
The official authority, the bu-
reau of economics in the agrl-
culture department, will tell
you, upon inquiry, that cotton
was Sc per cent of parity August
Is, the date last computed. To-
bacco sold at prices then rang
ing from 121 per cent of parity
for fiue cured, to 135 percentage
for Maryland, and 166 per cent
for Georgia and Florida.
Wheat then was II per cent
of parity, corn IS per cent and
rice around 125 per cent. Hogs
were 1913 per cent, beef 137 per
cent, veal 126 per cent, lamb
135 per cent, sheep 50 per cent
YOUR butcher bill
The average of all farm
products August Is was about
LOT per cent of parity.
Now the proposal of Mr..
Roosevelt, the Senate and Mr..
Steagall, all are designed pri-
marily, they say, to establish
parity" But you can readily
see from the above list that
practically everything except
cotton, wheat, corn and sheep
already is above the goal that
they profess primarily to seek.
THEIR proposals would have
i the effect, therefore, of
moving cotton, wheat, corn and
sheep up to parity-increaslng
these current prices as much as
1S per cent above August ID
levels in the case of sheep.
AS wheat, corn and cotton are
the largest crops of the nation,
the pending legislation is not
primarily a price Sterilization
for them, but a price increase
bill.
But, you may ask. does the
legislation then mean reduc-
ton in the other farm prices
that are away above parity now.
Oh, no. No prices will be cut.
There is a second provision in
all the proposals Zone of those
land /or's") which says the
President must fix for the other
commodities-not the parity
price. not even the current price,
but the highest price that has
prevailed since last January l.
ALL grains were at their high
"A est point last March, when
they were at 122 per cent Of
parity. Cotton and cottonseed
were at 159 per cent in May,
so any of the proposals now
pending would cause the maxi
mum price to be fixed at these
former highest levels of the
year.
AS whole, the basic agreed
terms of the legislation would
increase farm prices from LOT
per cent, August Is, up to about
116 per cent. In other words,
a 9 per cent further increase in
farm prices will actually be the
effect of this legislation, which
they are calling price stabili-
zation bill.
So while the battle wages
thickly and the words stretch
high and long, the legislation
actually seems to offer more
comfort to the farmer than the
housewife, or to the husband
who pays the grocery bills.
Somehow no one seems ever to
mention that.