Evening star., 1942-02-25
Roosevelt Raps
Limiting Farm
Surplus Sales
Selfish Interests
Press Bill, He
Tells Wallace
BY the Associated Press.

BY lne Associated PresS.
President Roosevelt stepped
into the Senate dispute over
farm prices today with letter
protesting that a pending bill
represented selfish interests" at
a time when the very existence
of the country is at stake.
The Chief Executive, in a letter
read at the opening of the Senate
session. said that a proposal to
restrict sales of Government
stocks of farm commodities would
do 'irreparable damage to the war
effort and farmers of the country"
Declaring that the production Of
American foodstuffs is vital to
Allied nations, the President said
the two most important needs at
this time were livestock and OIL
producing products.
Expansion Would Be Impeded.
Expansion of production in those
fields would be impeded by pro-
posed restrictions on the sale of
corn, wheat and other commodities
by the Commodity Credit Corp, he
declared.
Mr.. Roosevelt pointed out that
the Government had taken large
stocks of corn. wheat and cotton
off the market in past years in
order to keep prices up and insure
fair return for the farmers. He
said it was generally understood"
that the stocks would be available
in time of emergency.
That emergency is now upon u.s.
he declared
The letter, directed to Vice Presi-
dent Wallace, opposed a pending bill
that would prohibit any sales of
Government stocks at less than a
parity price.
Mr.. Roosevelt said that, in order
to expand. it would be necessary to
maintain favoroble ratio of prices
between feed and livestock.
The good will created for the
farmer In the past, the President
said, Should not be shattered by
grasping for a few dollars in the
name of the farmer"
SHOWDOWN vote Sought.
Administration leaders have Of
fered a compromise to the farm
bloc and called for a showdown
vote.
Protesting that the pending bill
might add 81 1OO0, 600 900 to living
costs Senator Brown, Democrat of
Michigan urged farm State Senators
to accept, his amendment intended
to keep market prices of cotton, corn
and wheat near present levels.
Majority Leader Barkley planned
a floor speech in support of the
Brown proposal before the vote ex-
/ pected later this afternoon.
My amendment puts the farm
bloc in bad position if they do not
accept it," Senator Brown said. "All
! they have been asking for is parity
price, and they will get it under
my amendment"
Reduction Of Benefit PAYMENTS.
The bill was approved unan-
imously by the Senate Agriculture
Committee.
Pointing to the recent average
annual farm benefit payments of
about s700,000,000 Senator Brown
asked that those be deducted from
the parity level to fix floors for sales
of the Government stocks.
This would permit Government
sales at about present levels" the
Senator said, noting that wheat now
was at 81 per cent of parity, cotton
at "a per cent, corn at 78 per cent
and that benefit payments already
voted by Congress raised each crop
TO about a parity level.
Farm bloc leaders, including Sen.
ators Gillette, Democrat, of Iowa,
Bankhead, Democrat, of Alabama.
Russell, Democrat, of Georgia and
Thomas, Democrat, of Oklahoma.
said they would oppose the Brown
amendment and ask support of the
original full parity floor under Gov
ernment sales.
Wickard Opposes Bill.
They and other Senators from ae-
ricultural areas told the Senate
yesterday that Congress had ex-
pressed its intent to allow farm
prices to go above parity levels
when it prohibited any price-fixing
ceilings below those levels. They
charged that Secretary of Agri-
culture Wickard had evaded this
by releasing the Government
stocks acquired under price-sup-
porting loans of past years, to hold
market prices below parity levels.
Senator Brown had letter from
Secretary Wickard asking the Sen
ate to defeat the pending bill as a
restriction likely to hamper the
war food production program.
Mr.. Wickard wrote that it was
necessary to sell Government stocks
! OF livestock feeds in order to in
! crease production Of meat, milk and
eggs. He said stocks of wheat and
cotton had been released to flour
and textile mills in order to keep
those prices from skyrocketing.
He promised that farmers would
get at least a parity return"
through market prices and benefit
payments.