Evening star., 1952-11-29
Small Promises
Aid on tobacco
Price Supports
Growers Assured
Of Help if They
Wont Program
By J. [. MichoeI

|jr., will back their move for Fed
leral price floors under this years
|crop.
The incoming 5th district Re-
publican told the Maryland To-
bacco Co-operative's annual meet
ing yesterday that he will examine
the proposal and will support It,
|if he finds the plan is feasible
and is what growers want. /
Speaking in the auditorium of
Frederick Sasscer High School at
Upper Marlboro, Mr.. Small said:
Il don't know how difficult re-
instatement might be. but the
possibility will be fully explored:
and as far as I am able after
consultation, I will be at your
service to do what you, want me
to do.
Primarily, what you need is
organization, if you would have
ian effective voice at the Agricul-
|ture Department and elsewhere. !"
Mr.. Small was speaking on
Southern Maryland's TOUGHEST
and most vital subject. The
economy of the five counties, for
more than three centuries, has
depended almost entirely on to-
bacco. The sun-bitten farmers
listened intently to every word.
Controls Approved.
Southern Maryland growers,
after a bitter fight, on October 20
approved Government acreage
controls and price supports for
the 1858 crop. A shift Of 1876
votes would have given the two
thirds majority required for
three-year approval.
Unless present law is changed
the current crop will not be sup
ported when it is sold next year.
because the program was rejected
in the 1851 referendum. Another
unfavorable vote in 1850 left the
1851 crop unsupported when it
was sold this year. The price sup
port plan was inaugurated in
Maryland in 1949. Government
graders operated on area markets
the previous season.
Absence of Federal floors is
generally held as the reason for
price drops. which cost the area
SIS million this year.
Now, all factions of the $40
million-a-year industry are striv-
ing for restoration of price floors
next year, although existing
statutes ban supports on crops
grown without restrictions. A bill
to effect this end was introduced
in the last Congress, but was
dropped when it received an ad-
verse report from the Secretary
OF Agriculture. A new measure is
being readied for submission to
the next Congress.
Restoration Not Easy.
Later Representative Sasscer,
Democrat, who will relinquish his
seat to- Mr.. Small, said in an in
terview that it probably will not
be an easy matter to restore price
supports next year. Mr.. Sasscer
put through Congress the bill that
gave Maryland price supports
after two disastrous sales seasons.
Unless a favorable report can
be obtained from the Agriculture
Department." he declared, "it
would be extremely difficult. Any
legislation that does not conform
to the overall pattern is in that
category"
Mr.. Sasscer was referring to the
fact that all other major Gig
arette-producing sections of the
Nation have accepted acreage al
lotments for the last 10 years and
have been bound by the rule of
no supports for crops grown with
out controls.
But he said the possibility of
restoration is worth the necessary
effort.
History has shown" he pointed
out, that on the three crops that
were supported, disaster was
averted and higher prices were
obtained
The co-operative's general man.
ager. Paul MacKie. reported that
the agency has about rs million
pounds of tobacco on hand, most
of it from the 1850 crop. About
half of the surplus from 1948 and
1949 crops has been sold, he said.
Five directors were elected, one
from each southern county. They
are Herbert T. Giddings, Anne
Arundel: John c. Ward, Calvert;
John Moore, Charles: T. G.
Strickland. st. Marys. and Walter
B. Posey, Prince Georges.
Mr.. Posey. tobacco expert of
the University of Maryland and
a member of the State Tobacco
Authority, nosed out Dudley
Smith, president of the Prince
Georges Farm Bureau, by a two
vofc m q rCin