Evening star., 1942-09-22
Administration
Assdi|ed for NOT
.Curbing Prices
Gould Have Been Done
Months Ago, HoIIeek
Says in House Debate
Earlier Story on Page A-2D
Rv tho

by tne Associated Press.
A blunt statement that the ad-
ninistration could have stemmed
,he rising cost of living months
ago had it demonstrated "cour-
age and strong leadership" came
today from Representative Hal
eek, Republican, of Indiana as
the House opened debate on
anti-inflation legislation.
He followed to the floor Repre-
sentative SABBATH, Democrat, of IL
linois, who declared that under tho
powers delegated by the bill, Presi-
dent Roosevelt will procede to bring
equity and justice to the farmer
as we'll as the wage Garner"
Representative Halleck, who nomi-
mated Wendell Willkie for president
at the last Republican National
Convention, maintained that Con-
gress itself, with a little encourage
ment'' from the administration,
would have written er-all controls
against imitation last year when ii
passed the price control act.
Farm Bloc Active.
Last summer" he cried, when
the clouds of runaway imitation were
beginning to gather, 1t might have
been better for the leaders of the
to send some word
up here, instead of waiting until
now and saying do it by October
or else"
Meanwhile, in both the House and
Senate, lawmakers from farm States
were mastering forces for a fight
to include the cost of farm labor
in the Government formula for
fixing a ceiling on the price Of
farm products, and thus put parity
based ceilings higher.
The farm bloc's activity cropped
up early in the preliminary House
skirmishing, despite the declaration
of Representative SABBATH that Pres
ident Roosevelt had demonstrated
the greatest friendship" for the
farmers and that their champions
need not "feel alarmed" at what he
might do.
Representative Cox, Democrat, Of
Georgia, protested that the farmer
now was getting little less than
20 cents an hour for his labor"
under present prices for farm prod
ucts, while Representative O'Con-
nor, Democrat, of Montana, declared
the cost of labor to the farmer had
risen 100 to 200 per cent above that
of year ago.
Senate Votes for Inclusion.
Representative Halleck told the
House that "the farmers are en-
titled to square DEAL" and MAIN
tanned that they have been getting
quite kicking around"
The Senate Agriculture Commit
tee voted IA to / today to recon-
mend inclusion of the cost of farm
labor in computing the parity price
at which agriculture prices would
be stabilized.
Senator Lucas, Democrat, of Illi-
nois, said, on leaving the executive
session that he was the only member
of the committee to vote against
the recommendation. The farm la
Dor amendment was introduced in
the Senate yesterday by Senator
Thomas, Democrat, of Oklahoma,
and the committees action today
was taken regardless of the fact that
the bill was not referred to it for
consideration.
President Roosevelt has said he
was "unalterably opposed" to any
change in the present system OF
computing parity.
Senator Lucas told reporters the
amendment was "just some more
sop offered the corn-belt farmer by
the so-called Farm Block"
Women Voters Ask Moratorium.
The Board of Directors of the
National League of Women Voters
issued statement saying:
Now is the time to declare a
moratorium in the strife over per-
sonal or group advantages and to
unite in national policies for the
lack of which every group would
be the loser in the end.
IF Congress fails to act quickly
to pass legislation which will be a
real curb on imitation and which de-
fines the scope of the Presidents
responsibility clearly, it will have
repudiated its own responsibility as
representative body"
Albert S. Goss. master of the Ma
tional Grange; E. H. Babcock, presi-
dent Of the National Council Of
Farmer Co-operatives: Charles Hol-
man, secretary of the Federation OF
Milk Producers, and Edward A.
ONeal, president of the American
Farm Bureau Federation, sent tele-
grams today to every member of the
House and Senate urging the higher
parity arrangement.
Unless An amendment including
all farm labor costs in the parity
formula is provided, they said. pro-
duction of food and fiber supplies
would be gravely imperiled."