Evening star., 1949-07-22
Administration Drives
To Salvage Paris Of
Farm Plan in Senate
By the Associoted Press

BY the Associated Press
A crushing House defeat of its
controversial farm plan set the
administration to work today on
salvage operations in the Senate.
With a powerful combination of
Democrats and Republicans in
control, the House late yesterday
voted, 239 to ITO, to kill proposed
trial run" of the farm subsidy
plan of Secretary of Agriculture
Brannan on eggs. potatoes and
wool.
The coalition was led by Rep
resentative Gore. Democrat OF
Tennessee, normally an admins
tration follower. 1t triumphed
despite a plea from Speaker Ray
burn to give the Brannan plan a
try.
Instead, the House voted, 383 to
25, to continue for another year
TIE rigid wartime farm price sup
ports at 90 per cent OF parity.
Parity is a computed price in
tended to give farmers a purchas-
ing power in fair relationship toI
the cost of things they must buy.
Today Senator Elmer Thomas.
Democrat, of Oklahoma. chairman
of the Senate Agriculture Com
mittee, indicated he hoped to turn
the tide in the Senate or at least
gain a compromise.
Senator Thomas said he will call
his committee together to see
what we want to do with the
House bill"
But while Senator Thomas re-
f1ected some optimism for the
Brannan subsidy plan, some other
farm minded Senators foresaw de-
feat for it in the Senate. too.
They said that a possible Sem
ate-House deadlock may toss the
whole issue into next years polit-
ical campaign. allowing the Aiken
flexible farm-p price support pro-
gram, enacted last year. to become
law January l.
AS far as Mr.. Brannan himself
was concerned, things could be
worse" That's what he told re-
porters after a cabinet meeting
today when asked about the House
action.
Repeal of this law, even before
1t goes into effect. was another
action voted by the House yes
terday, this one without a record
ballot. n would allow levels of
Government price supports to de-
cline if surpluses developed. but
would not require It,
Mr.. Erannan's proposal was to
allow market prices of milk. meats
and other perishable foods to drop
freely without SUPPORT of Govern
ment loans and purchases, and
then keep farmers incomes at.
fair levels by direct subsidies from
the treasury plus planting and
marketing controls.
~, Called Political Bait.
This plan was limited to the
three-crop trial run" in what
proved to be an unsuccessful
effort to overcome opposition in
the House.
The coalition insisted the Bran
nan plan was opposed by most
farmers, supported chiefly by labor
and was political bait"
Senator Thomas said, "The
House vote is a vote for higher
prices and to that extent it was
vote in favor of the Brannan plan.
When the public really under
stands that the Brannan plan
seeks to give farmers a full 100
per cent Of parity and give con-
sumers lower prices for food,
everybody will be for it. 1t would
not cost as much as the present
program.
I'VE have not got our stride as
vet. Our feet are not on the
ground and we are sparring for
position"
But Senator Aiken. Republican,
of Vermont, sponsor of the flexible
price plan now due to become law,
said, killing off of the Brannan
plan was expected"
THE issue now as last year is
between flexible and rigid support
levels. The Government already
is obligated to the tune of about
four billion dollars for rigid sup
ports this year. People who favor
the House bill must be willing to
authorize another five billion dol
lars to support farm products"
Senator Aiken noted that the
two largest farm organizations,
the Farm Bureau and Grange, are
on public record in support, with
some minor notifications, of the
repeal-threatened law bearing his
name.
Senator Anderson, Democrat, of
New Mexico, who may play a key
part in working out farm legisla-
ton. said there is not too much
difference between the Gore bill
and the Aiken plan"
Both Senator Anderson, as for
mer Secretary of Agriculture, and
Mr.. Brannan, his cabinet s1c-
cessor. co-operated with Senator
Aiken in drafting the flexible price
support law now on the books.
The price supports would not
be much different as far as farm
ers are concerned for 1850 and
1851" Senator Anderson told
reporter.
At a recent Senate hearing,
Senator Anderson had Secretary
Brannan and Senator Aiken in
verbal agreement that the Aiken
law probably could be used to try
o.s&