The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-02-14
Michigan in
Washington
Rn Esther Van .Vaaoh,r TuftY

/ BY Esther Van 'Nagoher TuHty
If any OF the 5000 sor more
Michigan folk who wrote Senator
Arthur II. Vandenberg on the sub
ject OF subsidies wonoer why no
prompt reply has been received,
/ it's because the senator plans TO
respond with a copy Of his speech
soon TO be made on the floor Of
I the Senate.
The gist OF that speech will be
an approval OF limited subsidies
! because OF the necessities Of the
war. but a rejection OF the subsidy
idea as anything but an emergen-
cy remedy TO sustain price levels,
The great majority of the letters
sent to the senator favored sub
/ sides.
The Senate is working against
lime in its consideration OF the
/ highly debatable subsidy issue
The commodity credit extension
measure with its prohibition on
the use OF subsidies to roll back
I prices must be settled by February
II, the date a previous extension
act ends.
II any substantial ban on the
use of subsidies is passed by the
Senate-in conjunction with SINH
lar action by the House-President
Roosevelt is almost certain 10 veto
the bill since price subsidies are
considered the only weapons avail
able to the Office of Price Admins
tration in keeping down rising food
prices.
Meanwhile, Senator Bankhead,
author Of the anti-subsidy clause.
tells me he will move for the ex-
tension of the subsidy provisions
in the CCC measure until June 80
to give federal agencies time TO
plan future moves in the event the
subsidy program is killed.
The sugar beet crowd put on so
much pressure that Food Admins.
traitor Jones was able TO pry an
nouncement of the 1914 farm sup
port prices loose from OES Direc-
tor Vinson. or course. the subsidy
delay in Congress helped. too Di.
rector Vinson was holding back
waiting for the nod from Congress.
which would have meant a delay
of at least another two weeks.
Many OF the Great Lakes sea.
men are quitting for ocean jobs.
They fear the loss OF their draft de-
ferrments at the { Sc OF the lake
shipping season.
The War Manpower Commission
and the War Shipping Administra-
ton are worried. Combined meas.
ures to prevent the diversion OF
sa'ors from the Great Lakes to
salt water shipping are being tax.
en-. The VISA said the Great Lakes /
sc men will be required to re-
main near lake points during the
winter slack season.
The Senate REA Investigation (
still drags on and the whole aifa- /.
hasn't turned up a nickels worth /.
of headlines. The feeling Is grow
ing in Washington. that the com.
mittee will write off the investiga.
ton as a bad investment.
Friends OF the Rural Electrified.
ton Administration still haven't
figured out whether certain I'M
friendly private utilities are be-
hind the investigation; whether
its a propaganda device 10 smear
the Administration or just scrap
between the alumincm and copper
interests over the sale OF electric
wire.
Meanwhile. the REA in Michi-
& joys along at its wartime pace
Untouched by the investigation,
the probe is mostly just so much
conversational spice TO Michigan
REA folk who happen to know
some OF the personalities involv-
ed.
Postwar prospects for the ex-
pansion OF REA in the state are
slight a REA spokesman tells me,
although It is possible that the
eight cooperat es generating their
own power may hook up into
network. The advantages would
be a constant source OF power I'M
der all conditions and a cheaper
rate.
The REA borrowers seem TO be
making their repayments on time
During the war no new construc-