The Wilmington morning star., 1944-06-11
Congressional
'SUTTLETIES'
The inside on the Washington scene Of
interest to the Carolinas.
BY HOWARD SUBTLE
Star-News Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON, June 1o.-Ihe question Of
whether the Interior department is to obtain
control of the proposed $1O6, 100000 postwar
Yadkin-Pee Dee hydroelectric, navigation and
flood control project is expected to become
an important factor in the attitude Of congress
toward legislation authorizing this and other
similar projects east of the Mississippi river
| Lines are now being drawn in congress for
floor battle over the program, which in
cludes authorization Of $10,e40,000 reservoir
at Wilkesboro.
There are some VINO point to- the Interior
departments success with the reclamation pro-
gram, under which western states have re-
ceived literally billions in federal funds since
1900 for irrigation, drainage, navigator flood
| control and hydroe1ectric projects.
| On the other hand, there are those who point
to the success Of the Tennessee Valley Au-
| thority, administered by special agency Gre
| ated by congress. These object to giving
1ckes too much power They refer to Sec
rotary Of the Interior Harold L. Ickes This
group contends that the Yadkin-Pee Dee pro-
posal would be greater success if IVA
could be used as pattern for the project
Pending now before the Senate Commerce
committee, of which North Cardinals Senator
Josiah W. Bailey is chairman, along with leg
islation approving the Yadkin-Pee Dee pro-
posal, is a measure by Senator Burnet R.
Maybank, Democrat, S. c., that would place
the gigantic proposal in the hands of Secre-
tary 1ckes, or his successor.
Legislation enacted in 1900 makes it man.
datory that projects such as IVA be turned
over to the Interior department if such prof.
ects are located "west of the hundredth me-
ridian."
1ckes himself, has made no secret of the
fact that he'd like to see the governments
reclamation policies extended eastward He
and his supporters paint beautiful picture
of future development of the South's great
embarrassed natural resources if southern
members Of congress, like solons from the
western states, get together and vote as
unit on matters affecting their section"
Rep. w. O. Burgin, of Lexington, in whose
district the Wilkesboro reservoir would be con-
structed, has not taken sides in the behind
the-scenes struggle He is more interested in
securing approval Of the proposal than he is
in delegating an agency to administer it.
The Army engineers have submitted to the
Bailey committee recommendation that Yad
kn-Pee Dee development be included in the
pending postwar flood control bill. which pass
ed the house before the Engineers had COM
pleted their study and is now under consid-
Grafton by the Senate commerce group.
Burgin is doing considerable missionary
work among his House colleagues in antici
patton Of its approval by the senate.
Melon Price Boost Unlikely
Despite the flood Of protests from the Caro-
linas concerning the assertedly low price cell
ings on watermelons the Office Of Price Ad-
ministration is believed unlikely to back down
from its order setting ceiling of $35 per
ton until July and $26 per ton thereafter
for North Carolina melons.
OPA set these ceilings in the face of a
current price of $48 per ton on Florida melons
and a national average last year Of $35 80,
the latter Of which caused Tar Heel producers
to substantially increase their 1914 acreage
A total of 141700 acres were planted in mel
ons last year. This year, it's increased to
212, 800.
North Carolinians who have joined wit h
State Commissioner of Agriculture W. Kerr
Scott in protesting the situation must soon
realize that the acreage increase. bringing
greater production, is bound to force the price
down, according to OPA authorities
Further argument in support of OPA's posi-.
ton is presented by Price Control Chief Ches-
ter Bowles in average annual watermelon
prices during the last five years, as follows:
1899, 1882; 1910, $8.72; 1941, $1072; 1912.
$19.28; 1943 1854.
SCOTS protest, submitted through Tar Heel
congressman, points out the unfairness of '1et-
ting the states south of us market their crops
in a free market" States of the deep South,
he declared, benefit from higher prices on
agricultural products, which decline in price
as the season progresses and the harvest
moves northward.
He contends that the situation was similar
in marketing of Strawberries potatoes and
other crops.