Evening star., 1947-10-11
SaItonsfaII Lifts Lid
On Federal Buying
For Support Of Prices
Silence by Both Parties
On Pority Measures Seer
Due to Form Bloc Fear
Rv Jaw G., Havden

When Senator Saltonstall, Re-
publican, of Massachusetts, suggest
ed, incident to prescription of an
eggless Thursday for American con-
sumers, that the Government re
lease" 5s0,000,000 eggs it recently
bought he established for himself
unique distinction.
In all the tens of thousands of
words uttered or written by public
oficeholders. Republican and Dem
ocratic, during the past few days,
respecting shortages and high prices
of food, Senator Saltonstall's Is the
only mention of the circumstance
that the Government is still BUYING
food to keep prices up.
While the Government has re-
linquished all its wartime machinery
for holding prices down it still Is
operating under a law which COM
pels it to maintain prices OF all
important farm commodities at go
per cent of parity.
Silence Held Political.
Parity is the supposed measure Of
equality between what the farmer
sells and buys. Every time there is
a Jump in price of steel, farm COM
modities, clothing, automobiles and
the like, due to increased wages or
any other cause, bureaucrats in the
Agriculture Department promptly
Jack up commensurately the Gov
ernment support prices of meat,
dairy products, poultry, potatoes,
wheat and a myriad other farm
products.
In his budget message last jan
uary President Truman pointed out
that this support-price system is
required to continue until December
81, 1913, and he asked an appropria-
ton of s33O000,000 to carry it on
until next June 80.
But Mr.. Truman at no time has
even remotely suggested that this
svstep should be ended, as has
been done with all other Govern
ment interferences with the law OF
supply and demand, and Republi-
cans also have been silent on that
score.
The main reason for this silence,
of course, is political. Leaders OF
both parties know very well that
repeal of the support-price system
would be bitterly resisted by the
powerful farm bloc and that
declaration by either party IN favor
of such repeal would be calculated to
lose the farm vote.
Senator Saltonstalls broaching OF
the subject may be explained by
the fact that his constituency num-
bers far more consumers than pro-
ducers of food products.
Potato Situation.
Even better than eggs, the sltua-
tion as to potatoes illustrates the
bearing of price-support buying on
the effort to conserve food 1or
hungry Europeans.
In urging that consumers save
grain, meat and dairy products by
switching to other foods, the ad-
ministration pronouncements have
urged especially more eating OF
potatoes. But the Government right
now is maintaining minimum prices
for potatoes averaging $40 per
hundredweight.
Due to increase in the parity
price calculation this support price
is IS cents above last year and 45
cents above 1943. when the support
price system began operating.
So far the Government has bought
from the 1947 crop 8,346.sol 100
pound bags of U. s. No. 1
potatoes, of which it has l ,1l9 ,34o on
hand. Despite the fact that the
market price of potatoes most OF
the time has been above the support
price, the Government has taken a
loss On a considerable part OF the
potatoes 1t shipped to Argentina.
Venezuela, Uruguay and Brazil at
an average price Of $l.75 per
hundredweight.
The top price paid by the Govern
rnent in its potato buying this year
is s2.65 per 100 pounds, applicable
in the States of New Jersey, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, West Vir-
einia and some areas of California.
The average for Michigan and other
Midwestern States is about s2.3S
and the Nationwide low $2.05 In
North Dakota.
Potatoes are considered uneco-
nomical for shipment to Europe but
100000 1Oo-pound bags, acquired IN
price-support buying last year, were
shipped to Germany and distrio-
uted by the Army free to hungry
Germans.
released by North American Newspaper
Alliance, 1ncD
T,. uoIIun Man Dab