Evening star., 1942-03-06
F. ). A. Controversy
And Economy Battle
Continue in House
Agriculture Supply Bill
Debate to Be Resumed
On Floor Today

Controversy over the Farm Sc
curity Administration and de-
mands for non-defense econom,
continued today as the Hous,
was scheduled to resume debat,
on the Agriculture Department.!
194S appropriations bill.
New ammunition was added t,
the congressional attack on tn
r. 8. A. as Controller General Lind
say Warren held, in . ruling mad,
public late yesterday. that tn,
agen7y lacked authority to lent
funds TO corporations organized Il
finance the purchase of land fol
settlement OF farmers displaced BY
the war program.
F.S. A. has established 10 such or.
ganizations and lent or promised
them a total Of $l1,946,000.
AS explained by c. B. Baldwin
r. s. A. administrator. in testimony
to the House Appropriations Com.
mittee, r. s. A. employees in the
States involved organized the cor.
porations under State charter, with
themselves as officers and directors
BY charter the corporations art
non-proflt.
Moved From Artillery Range.
p. 8. A. then lent money to the
corporations for purchase of lands
where farm families could be set
tied If forced to move from their
homes by such development, al
happened in Georgia. as Govern
ment purchase Of q large tract for
an artillery range.
The F. S. A. was not the only
agency to draw fire from the law
makers and several cuts in appropri-
atoms were made In the $685., 1885,
$50 supply bill.
A total Of $500, 900 was trimmed
from the bill by the economy bloc
during the days debate.
An early adjournment was forced
BY Administration leaders when ST.
100000 additional tentatively was
cut from the allotment for the de-
partment's research and planning
work. That cut was approved by q
standing vote, but will be subject
to q count Of tellers today.
Items in $500, 900 Reduction.
The $500 900 in reductions voted
Included 100000 in an item for
personnel in the ONCE of Informa-
ton, and $5OOOO0 In a $l,5oo, 900
item for printing and binding.
You can't beat the Japs by
throwing yearbooks and pamphlets
at them" cried Representative
Dirksen, Republican. of Illinois.
This savings could be used to buy
two bombers for the boys in the
Philippines"
Representative Woodrum. Demo-
crat. Of Virginia told the House
during the debate that Staggering
sums" could be saved by pairing al
lotments for personnel stumbling
over each other If we have
the courage to do So"
"The people" he cried, ARE be-
coming acutely conscious Of Gov
ernment costs. If you don't believe
it. 60 back home and talk to your
constituents.
There are only two things that
the farmer wants: One Is he needs
a market for what he produces: the
other is to be let alone and let
nature take its course"
Says Pressure Was Used.
Mr.. Woodrum charged that ON
cials had used pressure on field
service employees to get rid Of money
available for loans to farmers.
Demanding further cuts in the
supply bill. Mr.. Woodrum cited par
ticularly "the staggering sums pro-
vided for the F. S. A. and its army
OF employees in the field, who really
make no contribution to the farm
er's welfare"
He said he had a letter from an
r. S. A. official taking to task his
field representatives for not pro-
ducing more business and telling
them that they have a certain
amount of money to get out in the
way of loans and asking them to
step on the gas and put it out"
Mr.. Warren's opinion on the
2. s. A. was set forth in a letter
to Secretary Of Agriculture Wickard.
TT must be held" he wrote. that
there is no authority for the loans
OF funds appropriated under the
hearings loans, grants and rural
rehabilitation to corporations Or
ganized under the laws Of the vari-
Gus States by employees Of the De-
partment of Agriculture, at its di-
rection for the purpose of financing
purchases Of land on which are to
be relocated those farm families
which may have been displaced due
to the acquisition Of land for de-
tense purposes
Should Have Gone to Congress.
The controller general said 1t
could be understood that the re-
location could not have been car.
ried out quickly, II at all, through
the usual F. S. A. machinery.
Nevertheless" he added, "it
seems proper to observe that there
hardly could have ben complete Ger
tainty in the department Of its au-
thority to embark on program of
such scope and in the manner
chosen, and that the matter could
and should have been presented to
Congress, which has been in session
practically continuously since the
inception of the program"
The House Appropriations Com
mittee in its report on the supply
bill stated its hearings disclosed
that the F. S. A. is carrying on many
projects of a character which are
not viewed with favor by the COM
mittee"
1t cited the land purchases and
stated the administration is also
carrying on experiments in collec-
tive farming under a plan which
appears to resemble the practice Of
collective farming in Communist
Russia. The committee believes this
is wholly contrary to the spirit and
the genius Of the American way of
life and ought to be stopped"
Wrote Ban Into Bill.
1t wrote into the bill a provision