Evening star., 1943-01-29
S1M,0OO,OOO Farm
Production Subsidy
Plan Meets Opposition
Congress Members and
Agriculture Leaders
Fight Wickurd Program
Hy the Associated Press

By the Associated Press.
Members of Congress and the
leaders of three farm organizations
have assailed the Agriculture De-
partment's proposal for a 500 .OOO,-
900 production subsidy to farmers
designed to keep retail food prices
from rising.
Chairman Cannon of the House
Appropriations Committee declared
that Congress had specifically
barred such a subsidy last wear
and that Secretary of Agriculture
Wlckard's announcement was tan
tamount to saying that Congress was
going to repeal that prohibition"
Representative Taber of New
York, ranking minority member of
the same committee, expressed
doubt that Congress would vote the
necessary funds and said the sub
sldy would be inf1ationary "by rob-
bing the public Of the normal curb
on higher prices resulting from the
face that the public will not buy
when the prices were higher"
Wickard's Program.
Representative Hope of Kansas,
ranking minority member of the Ag-
riculture Committee, argued that in
creased farm production costs should
be met through consumers increased
and unused purchasing power rather
than by adding to the public debt
through subsidies "and loading it
onto future generations of taxpay-
erS." Mr.. Hope maintained that the
question of subsidy payments should
be determined by Congress and not
by the executive branch.
Under a program designed to en-
courage greater production of toma-
toes, peas, sweet corn and snap
beans, the Agriculture Department
announced yesterday that it would
buy these canned vegetables from
Gamers at prices which would enable
them to pay farmers specified mini
mum prices. These minimum prices
will be higher than were paid last
year, 1t said.
The department plans to sell the
canned goods back to Gamers at q
discount and at prices which would
permit their distribution under re-
tail ceiling prices little if any high
er than now prevail. The difference.
which would in effect be a subsidy,
will be borne by the department.
Major Commodities on List.
Oflcials said canned tomatoes,
peas, sweet corn and snap beans
would be major commodities on
the list of canned goods to be ra-
toned later.
Declaring farmers are handi-
capped by confusion and lack of
confidence, spokesmen for three ma
tional farm organizations asserted
that the Nation faces grave food
shortages unless the Government
Immediately alters its agricultural
price, labor and manpower policies.
Those policies, they charged in
statement, represent the work of IAN
impractical and wasteful bureauc-
racy more concerned with social
experimentation than the produc-
ton of food"
Signing the statement were Ed
ward j. oNeal, president of the
American Farm Bureau Federation:
Albert S. 4Goss, master of the Ma
ttonal Grange, and Ezra r. Benson.
executive secretary of the National
Council OF Farmer Co-operatives.
Minimum Price Schedule.
I'VE are unalterably opposed"
they said, ito the use of subsidies in
lieu OF fair return In the market
place"
The Agriculture Department set
up schedule Of minimum grower
prices for various producing areas.
For the country as whole these
prices, and actual prices paid in 1912.
are:
Tomatoes, s2425 a ton, compared
with Sl9.37; green peas, $81 so a ton.
compared with s6393; sweet corn.
Sl6 ton, compared with $3.50. and
snap beans, SOL, compared with
1883.
The department said the higher
prices should allow for increased
costs Of seeds, plants and other sup
plies.
Meanwhile, Chairman Fulmer OF
the House Agriculture Committee
again offered his proposal that city
youths be trained to fill the gaps on
farms caused by induction of rural
men into the armed forces.
Mr.. Fulmer yesterday introduced
virtually the same resolution that
was defeated in the Seventy-seventh
Congress. The training program
would be conducted by the State
agricultural colleges in conjunction
with the United States Employment
Service and the War ManpoWer