Evening star., 1943-11-02
Message on Food

Message on rood
A considerable part of the Presi-
dents message to Congress on the
subject of food and subsidies was
devoted to an explanation of the
need for more food to supply our
own armed forces, those of our Allies
and, to some extent, the peoples of
liberated countries. There will be
little, if any, disposition to differ
with him on these counts. But there
will be serious dissent as to the need
for subsidies to stimulate greater
food production and to hold down
consumer food prices.
| Broadly speaking, Mr.. Roosevelt's
| position is that we cannot prevent
initiation unless food prices are held
at present levels and, in some in
stances, brought even lower. In
fact, he goes to the extent of saying
| that demands for wage increases
would be "justiiable" if the present
subsidy policy were to be abandoned,
| but, in making this surprising state
ment, the President refrained from
comparing the wartime rise in living
costs with the rise in wages. This is
pertinent comparison, however,
and it may be obtained by going
back few days to the resignation
| OF PrentlSS Brown as price adminis-
traitor. In his letter to the Presi-
dent, Mr.. Brown said that the week.
ly wage of the American laborer is
80 per cent higher than it was prior
to Pearl Harbor Yet the rise in all
prices since Pearl Harbor has been
| but IL per cent. That being the
case, and if the President and Mr.
Brown were talking about the same
workers, it would seem that the cost
OF living would have to rise sub
stantially before demands for higher
wages would be justifiable on any
economic ground.
There are many groups in the
| country-the President mentioned
some of them-who have not en-
| joyed 33 per cent increase in earn
ings. Among these are the clergy
men, school teachers, old-age pen
| sioners, those living on insurance
policies, etc. These are the people
whose earnings have remained sta
BILE, and, in some cases, have even
relatively decreased. They will read
with some surprise that portion of
the Presidents message which deals
with the net increase in the earn
ings of farmers. Since Pearl Harbor,
according to Mr.. Brown, the net
income of farmers has risen by 90
per cent. The President states it
even more graphically. The average
net income of farm operators dur
ing the five prewar years, Mr.. Roose-
welt said, was $4,668, 100000 In 1943
their estimated income will be s12,-
475000, ,000-an increase of better
than $50 per cent. Expressed an
other way, the increase in the av-
| ~ o6S AAASoAAAS pCl 1nl llACl oNCl VIC
parity base period will be about so
per cent greater than the increase
in the average income of the other
people in the country. And this, the
President says, is just and desir-
able" But it is an increase in farm
earnings which has come, in part at
least, from the pockets of those
white collar classes who are the real
economic sufferers of this war.
If the subsidy program were
pointed, or could be pointed, to aid
only the classes who really need
help, there could be no valid objec-
ton to it. AS presently designed,
however, it extends equal benefits to
the farmers and the workers who
have enjoyed the greatest relative
rise in income. And this costs
| money.
Last February the administration
was talking about subsidy of $780,
| 100000. to be used for incentive pay
ments to farmers. This was not in
| tended to subsidize consumers, but
only to encourage farmers to plant
crops which might otherwise re-
main implanted because of high
costs involved. That seemed to be
a sound proposition, but, according
to Mr. Roosevelt's message, at least
$800,000000 was spent or obligated
before the year was out. And he is
urging Congress to enlarge this total
for next year, without specifying
where halt is to be called
In yesterdays message the Presi-
dent, warning against the notion
that little imitation is harmless,
discussed the case of the man taking
his first shot of opium. "He likes it,"
the President said, "although he
sWearS he will not make 1t habit.
Soon he is taking two-and then
more and more-and then he loses
all control of himself. Imitation is
like that. A little leads to more"
Unfortunately, as the record
shows, subsidies are like that, too.
If there is no alternative we shall
have to accept them. But before
plunging ahead on that easy" road,
we ought to have better idea where
we are going and what the ultimate