Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-16
Black Market
In Beef Held
Very Serious
Wickurd Sees Food
Program Periled if
Sales Go Unchecked
BY the Associated Press.

by the ASSOCLettu fTeSS
Acknowledging that black
market in beef is very serious
now" Secretary Of Agriculture
Wickard asserted today that sit
can become much more serious
and disrupt the Nations Wa1sfood
program.
Informed by Senator Aiken. Re-
publican of Vermont at an inquiry
into war food production of reports
that beefSteak was selling as high
as SITS a pound in a New York
black market, Mr.. Wickard said he
preferred to leave the problem to the
Office of Price Administration, but
added:
IF this goes on without check, it
is going to be very difficult to op-
crate the war food program. The
condition is serious enough now, and
it can be much more serious"
Although Gen. George G. Mar
shall, chief of staff, was reported to
have informed a group of members
of Congress privately few days
ago that he would refuse to release
soldiers for farm labor, Mr.. Wickard
told a Senate Agriculture Subcom-
mittee he would ask the Army to
furlough troops to help with the
harvesting of this years crops IF
the necessity arises"
Refused Last Year.
Replying to a question by Sena-
tor Bushfeld, Republican, of South
Dakota, Mr.. Wickard said he had
requested Army help last year to
harvest wheat in the Dakotas, but
they did not see fit to grant the
request"
1--WE are now canvaSslng the coun-
Sry's 100000 farms, asking each
operator how much manpoWer and
farm machinery he will need" Mr..
Wickard declared. The survey will
be completed in a few weeks and
we will use it as a basis for our re-
| quest"
IF the War Production Board
won't let farmers have new machin-
cry for the harvesting of crops"
asked Senator Aiken, how is the
Agriculture Department, for exam
pie, going to make good on prom
Use for incentive payments for added
production of certain crops?"
No Harvest Guaranty.
eff you don't plant crop, you
won't harvest it." replied Mr.. Wick
ard. 81 think the farmers will take
their chances of getting in the
crops. There never was guaranty
on harvesting"
Referring again to black market
in meat, the Secretary said the total
number of beef cattle on the range
is at an all-time high. Marketing,
too, he said, surpassed all records
until few weeks ago.
The supply on hand" he added,
lis very short. But the American
people today are consuming more
beef than ever before. The demand
is higher because the national in
come is higher than 1t ever was,
but the greatest difficulty in over
coming a meat shortage is distribu-
ton"
On the other side of the Capitol,
meanwhile, the House Small Bus1-
ness Committee heard a charge that
price and quota regulations on meat
have resulted in the worst black
market in the history of our coun-
try"
Blames OPA Policy.
"T repret IN saw" said Wilbur La
Roe, jr., counsel for the Independent
Meat Packers Union, that the price
policy of OPA is keeping meat both
from the Army and civilians and in
addition Is causing an upspeakable
black market which is almost out
of control"
Rebuffed by House Appropria-
tons Subcommittee, Mr.. Wickard
will seek to open another front in
his fight for a $100,00000O fund to
spur farmers to greater food pro-
| duction.
Mr.. Wickard in a statement said
/ the committees 6to-1 vote against
the incentive payment fund yes
! terday could not have come at a
worse time "or in a more discourage
ing fashion"
But, he declared, the increased
goals set when the subsidy program
was announced would not be re-
duced The subcommittee action
| is not final, he pointed out, and he
hopes that the increased returns
to producers necessary for increased
production eventually will be forth
| coming"
Some OF the committee members
expressed belief farmers should be
encouraged by higher prices, rather
than by subsidies.
Urges Further Goals.
He appealed to farmers on pa
triotic grounds meanwhile to meet
the increased goals for soybeans,
peanuts, fax, potatoes, dried beans
and peas, truck crops, grain sorg-
hum and sweet potatoes regardless
of the uncertainties now prevail
ing"
In testimony at recent closed
session of the Senate Military At
fairs Committee Mr.. Wickard was
disclosed to have expressed fear that
too many experienced men have
been taken off the farms for the
safety of the food production pro-
gram" He was reported to have
acknowledged receipt of very
alarming" reports about the number
of dairy cattle being sold because OF
labor shortages.
The crop incentive program, under
which subsidies would be paid farm
ers for meeting or exceeding their
quotas, was announced several weeks
ago and Agriculture Department
agents now are in the field signing
up farmers.
Undoubtedly" said Mr.. Wickard,
many producers will require the
additional returns in order to in
crease their orodllcfion of war crors