Evening star., 1943-07-08
House Farm Group
Kills Bill Increasing
Corn Price 10 S1.40
Other Means Sought
To Ease Grain Scarcity;
WFA Chief Testifies


NEW CROP REPORT expected to
show '43 goals won't be met. Story
on Page B-l.
BY the Associated Press.
The House Agriculture Com
mittee, by a 9-to-6 vote, today
killed a Senate-approved meas
ure lifting the corn ceiling price
from SLOT to 81 40 a bushel, Chi
cago basis.
Leaving to the administration the
pressing problem Of bringing more
corn into the open market, the COM
mittee abandoned any immediate
attempt at alternative legislation
This decision came after farm bloc
members disagreed on whether it
would be practicable to open the
way for rise in the corn ceiling
by reimbursing farmers on corn
sold since April IA twhen the SLOT
ceiling was set, for the difference
bCt~CCIl lllC ptlSC az WIlIll lllCS
sold the grain and any new ceiling
price
The Senate bill was tabled after
the House group heard testimony by
Marvin Jones, new war food ad-
ministrator. in executive session.
Davis Promise Recalled.
Representative Hope. of Kansas.
ranking minority member, said. I'VE
do not want to go away without
doing something to solve this prob
lem We do not want to leave the
Food Administrations hands tied
Congress is planning summer va
cation soon)
Mr.. Hope emphasized that If the
War Food Administration and the
ONCE of Price Administration de-
Cided that an increase in the CELL
ing was necessary to bring corn
into the markets, then the farmers
should have such reimbursement,
since Chester c. Davis. former food
administrator. in setting the SLOT
ceiling on April Ia. said there would
be no further increase in the max
imum corn price in the present crop
year.
Representative Flanagan, Demo-
crat. of Virginia told newspapermen
there were some signs of an ease
ment in the grain situation. point
ing out that some corn now is being
released for the market and that
10000 900 to 100000 bushels of
grain-wheat, barley and oats
were expected soon from Canada.
Presidential Veto Seen.
Committeeman opposing the Senate
bill said that if the legislation had
been sent to the White House, Presi-
dent Roosevelt would have vetoed it.
Mr.. Hope disclosed that Mr.. Jones
informed the committee he did not
see how the SLOT ceiling could be
broken, in view of the previous
statement by Mr.. Davis. unless there
was some means of taking care of
farmers who had sold grain since
April IA on the basis of this state
ment.
Chairman Smith of the Senate
Agriculture Committee. who intro
duced the corn price bill, attributed
the current shortage of purchasable
corn to the fact that farmers find
more profit in feeding the grain
to hogs than in selling it to proc
essors at the SLOT ceiling set by
the OPA.
Senate Majority Leader Barley
while acknowledging the corn stu
alton to be serious, said that il
Congress started fixing prices on
individual commodities the country
would find itself in "a hopeless
swamp"
Bloc in Drivers Seat.
The Senate farm bloc, firmly in
the drivers seat, insisted yesterday
that the increase is necessary to
bring corn to the market where live
stock feeders, poultrymen and corn
product manufacturers are clamor-
ing for it. Under present conditions
they contended, corn growers can
realize about $1.37 bushel by feed
ing 1t to hogs. and therefore refuse
to sell for SLOT.
Senator Danaher, Republican, OF
Connecticut tried unsuccessfully to
load down the bill with various
amendments. including one to put
a floor of 231a cents a pound under
cotton and another raising the price
OF crude oil 20 per cent. All his
amendments were shouted down.
Senator Smith told the Senate he
was tired of being rationed and
regimented of by people who don't
know what It's all about"
About the time that the Senate
passed the bill, Senator Byrd
Democrat. Of Virginia made public
tSee CORN, Page A-18D