The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1949-11-03
BY cONGR RESsMAN
Bob Sccrest
FARM PROGRAM

| IiiS PiO0uSto Vi IdItOlIGo dlld IllS
workers have sufficient income
to purchase farm products. The
rs cent minimum wage law, un-
ion contracts and other factors
tend to stabilize the income of
workers. To sustain the income
of farmers, the government has
attempted to purchase enough
surpluses to maintain a price for
farm products equal to 80 per-
cent of parity. The cost of this
farm program to the government
in l948 was three and one-half
billion dollars, spent principally
for cotton, corn, wheat, potatoes,
tobacco and wool. In 1948, sew
enty-two major farm products
had total value of approximat-
ely twenty billion dollars. Our
leading crop was corn, with a
market value of approximately
five billion dollars. Our second
leading crop was wheat with a
market value of more than two
and one-half billion dollars. Cot
ton was our third major crop
with a value of two billion, three
hundred dollars. The 1949 crop
is expected to exceed that of
l948 in both quantity and dollar
value.
| Three proposals have been con-
sidered by the present Congress.
One provides that the present 80
percent parity price shall be
maintained. Another provides for
flexible price controls between
70 and 80 percent of parity, de-
pending on market conditions. A
third plan, known as the Bran
non plan, provides that price of
all farm commodities will seek
| their own level. The difference
between the market price and
parity would be paid direct to
the farmers by the government
This would certainly cost far
more than either of the other
plans and might break down
completely under conditions OF
| less prosperity than we have to-
/ day. Because of record crops and
the Importance of agriculture in
our economy, permanent plan
for agriculture is the most diff
cult domestic problem facing not
only the Congress, but the farm
ers themselves. Whatever plan
is adopted, a percentage of par
ity must be the basis Of such a
plan if millions of farmers are
to remain solvent and continue
as purchasers of their fair share
of the nations products. The
House and Senate conferees
agreed to 80 percent of parity
for 1850, 80 percent for 1851 and
rs percent to 80 percent for 1852
and 1882
In 1884, the first Reciprocal
Trade Agreement bill passed the
Congress. Since then this legis-
lation has been extended six
times. l opposed the original bill
because l felt certain that it
would harm the glass and pot
terry industries of the 18th Con-
gressional district. This predic-
ton was born out by the fact
that imports of these commod-
tiles from Japan and elsewhere
continued to grow by leaps and
bounds until World War II. Dur
ing World War II and for short
period after, our industries for
the first time had the full ben
eft of our home markets. With
American money Japan is being
rebuilt. So far in l949, four times
more glassware has entered the
United States from Japan each
month than entered during the
year 1948. In 1949 Czechoslovakia
sent more than one-half million
dollars worth of glassware into
the United States In 1948, over
sixteen million pieces of house
hold earthenWare entered this
country, principally from the
| United Kingdom, Japan, Ger
many and Italy. More than twen-
ty-two million pieces of house
hold chinaware entered the coun-
try in the same year together
with fifteen million pieces of art
and decorative articles. Imports
in 1949 far exceed those of l948.
When the bill came before the
House this year, / had planned
to make a major speech against
it, but l could not be present
| since my brother was brought
home from the Pacific for burial
at the time this bill was before
the House. have collected much
material and shortly after the
first of the year will point out
| to the Congress the great dam
Page to the pottery and glass in
dustries by reciprocal trade
agreements and the Marshall
plan which furnishes foreign
countries with all types of mod
ern machinery and devices with
which to drive American work
ers from their jobs and to bank
rupt an important part of Amer