Evening star., 1948-12-19

IClFlSCInaS tree ana then distributed
The Collectors Club Of Washing.
ton will meet at 1912 Ninth street
Tuesday evening at 8.
Roberts
Continued From Page C-10
groups will reply amen" But there
the area Of agreement tends to end
The battle last week over the price
support problem at the Farm Bu-
reau Convention makes that OBJ
vious.
In general, this is the lineup OF
opposing thought on the farm side
of the price problem:
Favor Flexible Plan
Many Midwestern individuals and
groups in both political parties feel
that the demand for basic crops
wheat, corn and cotton chiefly-has
now caught up with demand and
therefore, there must be a restric-
tion in supply in order to protect
the price Of what is raised. Hence
they favor the flexible price-support
scheme advanced by Senator Aiken,
Republican, OF Vermont, which will
60 into effect in another year. This
measure gives the Secretary of
Agriculture power to set supports
anywhere from 60 to 80 per cent of
parity on the basic crops, including
peanuts and tobacco. With this
power comes power to curb produc-
ton as was done in the abundant
days of the 1930s-abundant, that
is, from the standpoint of demand,
not from the standpoint of need
for food.
But the opponents OF this point
Of view feel that any lowering of
supports from the present 30 per
cent would destroy the farmer.
These opponents are chiefly the
Southern Democrats, in whose
States are grown the cotton, pea
nuts and tobacco of the Nation.
Their strongest allies In Congress
are Representative Cooley, the
North Carolina Democrat who will
head the House Agriculture Com
mittee. and Senator Thomas, the
Oklahoma Democrat who will head
the Senate group. Senator Thomas,
especially, has been strongly op-
posed to any reduction in supports.
He said last week he is for 80 per
cent parity for the basic crops, but
for the flexible provision for the
nonbasics. He expects to open
hearings no later than February /
on a new farm bill.
Since the farm vote is now gen.
orally conceded to have been de-
cisive, along with the labor vote, in
electing Democratic Congress and
returning President Truman to the
White House, the farm problem is
certain to get a sympathetic hear
ling beginning in January.
The administration economists
generally feel that price supports
have not been responsible for the
high cost of living today but that
they can, If held artificially high,
help keep it high for years to come.
Thus the Congressman with urban
constituents-and most of this Ma
ton now Is classified as urban-has
to consider whether any new farm
legislation will bring on an attack
that he is voting to continue the
fancy price tags on the pork chops.
The CIO, for example, at its recent
convention passed resolution fay
oring guaranteed prices on such
farm products as wheat, corn, cotton
and hogs at flexible support level as
long as industrial prices remain at
current high levels and the Nation
has full employment as it does to-
day.
Need More Livestock
In casting about for way out of
all these contradictions, it may be
that a vast program to increase the
supply of livestock will be the an
swer. We are meat-eating Nation
and more people have tasted the
better cuts these last year of war
prosperity than ever before in our
history. There has been a revolution
in our eating tastes. For years,
now, there has been a steady decline
in the average consumption of po-
tatoes, for example, as Americans
have learned to eat-and prefer
more varied diet.
But we have never raised enough
livestock to furnish the public as a
whole with enough beef, pork and
lamb. Now, by tying in the prob
lem of corn prices, it may be possible
to do so. For corn is the controlling
commodity in meat production be-
cause 1t is fed in vast quantities to
fatten cattle and hogs.
This year we have raised an all
time record corn crop compared to
a dismal failure the previous crop
year. But because steers and pigs
are long-term farm products, the
new crop has not yet been trans
lated into more meat and won't be
for many months more. And today
farmers are not feeding enough
cattle and hogs. especially cattle,
with corn to guarantee higher pro-
duction to degree that would make
a great difference. The reason is
they are afraid of what will happen
to meat prices by the time the
animals are ready for market.
Hog and beef prices today are we'll
above support levels. Under the
Aiken bill support levels for animals
would rise while those for grains