Evening star., 1943-12-09
EIIender Seeks Delay
In Subsidy Vote Until
After Holiday Recess
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
A short cooling off" period on
the food subsidy issue-until
just after the Christmas holi-
days-was proposed by Senator
Ellender, Democrat, of Louisiana
today as opposition mounted to
a suggestion that the matter be
put aside for go days.
Senator Ellender, a leader of the
administration forces battling to
save subsidies as means of holding
the line on living costs. said the
Senate would be able to vote more
intelhgently" if members could go
home at Christmas time and sound
out local sentiment.
Subsidies can't possibly get the
consideration they deserve in the
brief time remaining before the
holidays" Senator Ellender said
Everybody is mad and tired out.
A postponement of 10 o. Is days
might be all that is necessary to
let the Senators find out how people
at home feel about the question
and it certainly is important enough
that they should have that op-
portunity."
Farm Bloc Against Delay.
The earlier suggestions for a 60
day delay drew fire from farm bloc
spokesmen and also from War Food
Administrator Marvin Jones, who
said delay might hinder farmers in
planning their 1914 crop programs.
Mr.. Jones is wrestling now with
the problem of whether to announce
farm product support prices for 1914
or await settlement of the subsidy
debate
Farmers have no idea yet as to
what prices they can expect in the
case of a very few products AS a
consequence most of them are
awaiting an announcement of the
WAS price support program be-
fore making definite crop plans.
Mr.. Jones could 60 ahead now and
announce farm support or minimum
prices. He has told Congress that
farmers should get somewhat higher
prices for some commodities than
they got this year because of in
creased production costs arising
from the war.
Price Guarantees Involved.
A price-SuppOrt program now
pending before the VIA would in
Volve guarantees to farmers of
prices, in the case of some commod-
tiles, above Government price CELL
ingS. Mr.. Jones desires to make up
this difference in Government sub
sides. The farm bloc in and out
of Congress is opposed to such sub
sides. 1t demands instead that
price ceilings be raised to cover the
VIA support prices.
If Mr.. Jones announces his sup
port program now, the only question
left would be whether farm price
guarantees above ceilings would be
absorbed through subsidies or
through an upward adjustment in
ceilings.
Prospects are that the Senate
Banking Committee, nearing the
end of two weeks of hearings on
the House bill, which would halt
subsidy payments January l, will
not act until late next week, with
the result that the legislation might
not reach the Senate floor until
shortly before December 20, the date
on which leaders had hoped to start
a holiday recess.
$500, O,0OO, 900 Asked.
The amount asked by the admin
1stration for the 1914 program is
$50O,0OO,OOO.
In the midst of the battle over
food subsidies the Senate Agricul-
ture Committee suddenly decided
yesterday to look into a 5-month-old
proposal to allocate basic war foods
to loW-lncome families.
Such a program has been sug-
eeSted in some quarters as a substi-
tute for general food subsidies on
the grounds it would prevent higher
retail food prices from causing hard
ship to persons of small income.
Chairman Smith of the agricul-
ture group appointed Senator Gil
lette, Democrat, of Iowa as chair
man Of subcommittee to hold
hearings on the food allotment plan
advocated by Senator Aiken. Repub-
llcan, Of Vermont in a bill intro
duced last July.
Senator Aiken proposes to operate
the program somewhat like the old
food stamp plan for distribution of
surplus commodities.
Persons whose income did not per-
NIT them to maintain an adequate