Evening star., 1949-04-24
Secretary Bronnon: Man With q Plan
Depends On
Involved Series
of Formulas

but nrieny here. Ten ouSfies of
corn is adopted by Mr.. Brannan
as q convenient standard. That
makes one unit. Each farmer may
count on support for 1900 units
Beyond that point he would be
operating In free-enterprise
market. selling what he produces
for what he can get for it. Unit
values for other commodities are
computed on the basis Of how
much 1t would take OF them 10
equal the income support price
for 10 bushels OF corn. For whea,
this works out as TIT bushels TO
a unit. for milk 346 hundred
weight, for oranges T.4s boxes.
for beef cattle Sc hundredweight.
for hogs 3.46 hundredweight. and
so on.
Not every farmer. large or small
would be eligible for these income
supports. The major subsidy in
novation. as noted. is the scheme
for income support payments, to
be used primarily for perishabie
crops. The Brannan proposal.
however. includes authority for
non-recourse loans for storable
crops. as now provided in law. and
direct Government purchases for
such activities as supplying the
school lunch program Any and
all Of these methods could be used.
singly or In combination. for any
and all crops. as the circumstances
might indicate In particular situa-
tionS.
Benefits Conditional
But to get the benefit OF any
of these, the farmer would have
to accept certain conditions de-
signed to assure his participation
in the overall program. These
conditions would require the par
ticipating farmer to practice
sound soil conservation in use OF
his land; to accept such meas
ures as acreage allotments. when
these are accepted by a two-thirds
vote OF farmers as is now the
practice under the Hope Aiken
law: marketing quotas and mar
keting agreements when adopted
by similar referendums also pro-
vided for In existing law.
Any farmer would be free to
come in or stay out. If he came
in. Government would have lot
to say about how he ran his farm.
If he stayed out he would be that
rare bird in present-day agricul-
ture-the free enterpriser. He
could run his farm the way 1t
pleased him. and he would sell
what he produced on the market
for whatever price he could get
for it. Unlike the farmer who
came in. he couldn't go back to
the Government and say: Look
here. didn't get enough for what
I sold-you pay up the difference. +"
For reasons explained earlier.
when the potato problem was
mentioned-the rugged individ-
ualist who wants to run his own
farm the way he wants to run
it, shared. under the Hope Aiken
law. the protection OF the farmer
who elected to cooperate with
Agriculture Department programs
for curtailing production and
maintaining price parity. This
for the simple reason that the
Government undertaking to sup
port the market price for any
commodity. necessarily support
ed 1t for all producers, because
all sold In the same market
those who co-operated and those
who didn't.
Aiken's Criticism
But the Brannan plan would
deny this protection to those who
did not cooperate. and with sur
'pluses piling up 1t would be rea-
sonahle to expect that virtually
all farmers would choose TO come
In under the Government umbrella.
1t is this aspect Of the proposal.
no doubt. that has led some Of
Its critics to assail 1t as social
ISM" RECOMMENDATION" or q new
form Of the lately unlamented
pyramid clubs.
One critic. who has not in
dulged in these convenient scare
words. but who has serious objec-
tions to the program: Is Senator
Aiken. Republican. OF Vermont.
co-author Of the Hope Aiken bill
which the Brannan proposal. IL
enacted. would supplant. Senator
Aiken knows the farm problem.
approaches its solution with sym
pathy, and no one has yet &C
cused him on farm or other legis-
lation Of opposing q Democratic
program just because 1t was .
Democratic program.
Tempering his criticism with the
observation that Mr.. Brannan. q
career man In the Agriculture De-
partment. was q sincere, honest
public servant: that his program
merited careful study by Con-
gress: that he would resent any
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tSee FARM PLAN. Page c-s.l
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