Evening star., 1944-01-23
Marvin Jones Strips
CCC Of Powers Over
VIA Food Program

War Food Administrator Marvin
Jones yesterday stripped the 50 30Oo,-
100000 Commodity Credit Corp. and
its president, j. B. Hutson, of i'm
portant policy making powers over
the WAS food production pro-
gram.
Control lost by the CCC and its
chief was divided between a new
Once of Distribution, set up to re-
place the Food Distribution Admin
istration, and newly created Office
OF Price, with the latter getting i'm
portant farm price policy functions.
The shakeup came in between last
weeks Senate Banking Committee
decision to toss the food subsidy
issue on to the floor for show
down, and the February II expira-
tion date Of congressional extern
sion of Co.'S life. The controverted
subsidy measure would give the CCC
$500, 100000 to finance subsidy and
crop loan programs.
Under the VIA setup wiped out
by Mr.. Jones, the CCC and Mr.. Hut
son had become the top-ranking
agency and official in food-produc-
tion aspects of the war-food pro-
gram. Mr.. Hutson, as director of
the Food Production Administra-
ton, and as head of the CCC, had
control over such powerful peace
time agencies as the Agricultural
Adjustment Agency, the Farm Sc
curity Administration and the Soil
Conservation Service, as well as su-
pervision over price-support pro-
grams for agricultural commodities.
Regain Independent Status.
In yesterdays order, the AAA, the
FSA and the SCS regained the status
of independent agencies, responsible
only to Mr. Jones or his immediate
assistants. Before the war, the AAA
far overshadowed the CCC. Under
the organization plans made by For
mer Food Administrators Wickard
and Chester c. Davis, and con-
tinued by Mr.. Jones until yesterday,
the CCC and Mr.. Hutson were placed
at the top of the food-production
programs.
In addition to changing the names
of the Food Distribution Admins
tration to Office of Distribution and
the Food Production Administration
to Office of Production, Mr.. Jones'
order creates the new price agency
to handle matters relating to food
prices for which the VIA is re-
sponsible.
The CCC, which is under the
dictatorship of Mr.. Hutson, con-
tinues to be responsible only until
May l for such procurement and
distribution programs as it is now
administering" the order stated.
After that date, all such programs
will be administered by the Office
of Distribution, headed by Lee Mar
shall, baking company official on
leave.
CCC shall continue, Mr. Jones
said, to procure and import food |
from Canada and sugar from the !
Caribbean, and shall make distribu-
ton of food acquired by virtue of
1tS loan programs.
Mr.. Jones said that henceforth |
the Office of Production, acting
through such agency in the field as
may be designated by the admins
traitor, shall be responsible for the
distribution of all food allocated for
use as feed and other production
facilities, such as fertilizer and farm
machinery.
The Office of Distribution shall be
responsible for the preparation of
directives for foreign procurement
Of food, the order said.
Designed to Speed" Work.
Mr.. Jones, in announcing the
changes, said they merely were de-
signed to speed up VIA opera
tions, through more clearly defining
administrative responsibilities and
procedures and eliminating dupli-
cation"
One possibility is that the Roose-
velt administration may be prepar-
ing to change its whole approach to
the food subsidy program, esti-
mated officially to cost at least
81 900, 100000 this year.
Criticism of programs involving
use of CCC funds for subsidies has
been particularly strong in Con-
gress and among farm organiza-
tions. The CCC was originally
established to provide price-sup-
porting loans to farmres on surplus
crops. Some lawmakers have ques-
toned the legality of the use of
the agency's funds for subsidies.
An influential member of Con-
gress who was one of the sponsors
Of the CCC commented that it was
never the thought of Congress that
the CCC should be engaged in the
large business it is doing today"