Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-12-12
SPEAKER URGES
ADEQUATE LABOR
IN AGRICULTURE

LIN AURICULIUM
R. W. Blackburn, secretary Of the
American Farm Bureau federation.
demanded in an address before the
Montana Farm Bureau federation con-
vention at Helena recently that the
| government Immediately make gtlffi- I
! cient help available to farmers TO 4
enable them to keep food production /
UP and that it end Immediately its
present system Of paying subsidies to
encourage production.
In an address bristling with criti-
cism Of various phases Of the admin
istrationas handling Of war and re-
lated problems, Blackburn told the
convention that continuation Of the
subsidy plan would result In initiation.
He demanded that parity and ceiling
prices on foodstuffS be placed ON the
same level and prices to consumers
permitted to rise. He said the national
income well could afford to pay higher ,
prices.
THE fact is" Blackburn declared.
that consumers have been spoiled by [
low food prices. Many families never I
have known what it is to pay fair +
prices for food. In 1899 Henry A. wal y
lace, then secretary of agriculture, said /
in congressional hearing that Ameri- q
can farmers lacked two billion dollars t
a year Of receiving parity prices for v
their products. That being true, 1t fol- a
lows that our farmers were substituting v
consumers at a terrific rate When
people get accustomed TO a subsidy of Z
any kind, they Away protest vocifer-
ously when the continuance Of that
subsidy is threatened" =
He blamed the public's complaints Il
about the high cost of living on the Il
'act that meat prices had risen r
'spectacuIarly" since 1910. when they
nave to pay more for meat, they for
get the low prices for other foods and
hey complain about the thigh cost dj
# living" he declared OF
Blackburn raped the governments Iii
,olicy Of paying subsidies to keep re-
all prices down, pointing out it was th
osting the government 100000 a M
month to keep the price of milk down 10,
n New York City alone. II oppose In
his because it is wrong in principle"
e said. Retail food prices are lower, Fir
with factory workers in 70
ONE, than they have ever been, and w
till the government steps in and pays he
art Of the cost Of their milk" w
He said the theory Of the subsidy Fa
Ian was to prevent imitation i Won tW
err why" he commented 'it Is con- co,
dered less inflationary for the con- :
inner and the government to pay a mi
srtan price Tor milk than 1t would W.
: for the consumer to pay the en- rey
re amount The government is set q
ng a very bad precedent in this case he,
Sc .fo{r. hot 1ae ~
Ill demand continuation of the sub \
dy after the war when buying power n
iii be reduced. Congress would find en-,
hard to resist such demands. This Ar, A.
svelopment would hold a grave -
lreat for farmers. If they can't have ~. 80
lrity prices in the market place at Fly Si,I
time when food Is cheap in relation ~ sau
income, what chance will they havs, siol
get parity prices after the war ~ 49,
hen earnings are certain to be | s1.e
laller?" Oss
l tsesaIu1ls sne EXODUS VI Iani her
rvice Blackburn declared: 81
Farmers and their wives and small The
ildren can do lot but they posi- eve
yely cannot keep production up to Fall
esent high levels if the army con- =,
lueS 70 take the nest OF the farm -,
US and if Washington policies make -
impossible for farmers to pay wages on
cessary to attract inferior labor to Aoul
place the boys that have gone to e eelu
r." o tnl
4 am certain that, If farm prices t,.s g.
e held at parity or below, but in S rs~s
strial wages are allowed to rise ~ ~.
nerally. the result viii be disas- "oo
,us," Blackburn continued, because In
rity itself automatically rises when crew
: cost of manufactured goods is in cons
,ased. And I don't believe price VINE
lings on manufactured goods can IT
maintained if the cost of the labor out
1t produces those goods is permitted Smit
get out of hand" getti
n this connection, Blackburn Gre'
stored the conduct of organized La had
: in the war He said the latest re- abou
t Of the bureau of labor statistics pool
WED industrial workers we're work. Gi
only 42.4 hours a week II sub Der
T." he said, that this situation is at IL
fragrant and unnecessary waste then
precious manpower and the re- Myel
visibility for it is with the admin float
alton itself Farm people have meni
n working go and 20 hours a week the
year. Why can't industrial labor river
k 81 hoursP They can and they upStl