Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-06-07
|S1.3 Billion Farm Bill
Gets Senate Approval;
Reduction Moves Fail
By jones {. Roper

An election minded Senate last
might voted more than $1.3 billion
for the Governments farm pro-
gram - even more than farm
spokesman asked.
Senator Anderson, Democrat. of
New Mexico, a former Secretary
Iof Agriculture. worked with scat
tered Republicans to trim the
amount, but he could do little.
Senator Russell Of Georgia, a
candidate for the Democratic
presidential nomination. led the
fight against cuts. He warned the
Senators not to commit mass sui
icide "in this presidential year."
Under debate was a bill appro-
lpriating funds for the Agriculture
Department for the next fiscal
year, and providing for the de-
lpartment to lend or spend other
monies until December 81, 1858.
The House already has passed
"a similar bill. Numerous minor
differences will have to be worked
out in a Senate House conference.
| Benefit Funds Is Issue.
The key vote in the Senate came
on an Anderson proposal to chop
500 million from $3.50 million
proposed for farm benefit pay
ments during the 1853 calendar
year. These payments go to
farmers who carry out soil or
water conservation practices on
their own land. Thirty-nine per
cent has been going for chemical
fertilizers.
Two major farm organizations
the National Grange and the
american Farm Bureau Fedora
Ition-have asked Congress to
eliminate or sharply reduce these
benefit payments. But the Sen
ate rejected any cut. IS to %.
Senator Russell. arguing against
the reduction, said that appar-
emily lot of farmers like the ben
eft payments. because they are
accepting the money. He said
Jennings, Norwegian rodents, go
in mass movements to the sea and
drown themselves.
/ When the vote came, Senator
Russell's stand against the pro-
posed cut had the support of two
other candidates for the Demo-
cratic presidential nomination
Kerr of Oklahoma and Kefauver
OF Tennessee. Both were an
nounced as paired against the
reduction,
Senator Ferguson, Republican,
Of Michigan offered a series of
amendments to eliminate increases
recommended by the Senate APP
preparations Committee. He sue
ceeded only in eliminating a pro-
posed 100000 increase in funds
for the old-line Soil Conservation
Service.
Senator Williams, Republican,
of Delaware won an emergency
addition of $4,000 for expert
ments to wipe out poultry dis
ease, now epidemic in focks in
Delaware and Maryland. Other
additions from the floor were $50
600 for the Forest, Service and
$4,000 for the Bureau of Plant
Industry.
Vote to End Subterfuge.
! Senator Aiken, Republican, OF
Vermont persuaded the Senate to
END q practice which he said hao
concealed for some years how
much the farm program was cost
ing the taxpayers.
Heretofore, the agriculture bill
has authorized the Agriculture
Departments Commodity Credit
Corp. to operate on money bor-
rowed from the Treasury. The
Treasury then was authorized to
cancel the debt, if CCC lost
money in supporting farm prices
Senator Aiken said this never did
show up anywhere as an appro-
lpriation.
| The bill this year authorized
the Treasury to cancel about $12O
million in CCC debts. At Senator
Aiken'S urgings, and with Sena-
tor Russell's approval, the Senate
made the item an out-and-out
tany1r0nrio fi0n