Evening star., 1952-12-05
PIMA Officials Fear
Trimming Of Power
Under 6. 0. P. Rule
BY Ovid A. Mortin
Associoied Press Stoff Writer

Assoeiossd Press Stoff Writer
The Production and Marketing
Administration, rule-the-roost big
brother of the IS agencies that
make up the Agriculture Depart
ment. may find its role reduced
by the incoming Eisenhower ad-
ministration.
Certainly it's officials fear this
and workers. in many Of the other
department units openly express
hope such will be the case.
The PIMA more nearly symbol
ICES the precedent breaking farm
policies inaugurated by the Roose-
welt New Deal Administration
than any other agency in the
department.
It is today'S version Of the old
Agricultural Adjustment Admin
istration set up by Henry A. Wal
lace when he was secretary under
President Roosevelt.
In the popular mind, the AAA
became synonymous with crop
control. It's first programs called
for plowing under some crops,
killing pigs and paying farmers
not to plant crops suffering from
depressed prices.
From the very beginning, the
AAA grabbed the agricultural
spotlight. The old line research,
regulatory and statistical agencies
suffered by comparison. This new
agency, which soon outstripped
others in the size of its payroll.
offered the best jobs-jobs which
were largely filed, not by en-
ployes then in the department,
but by farmers brought in from
the field. Many of these still are
on the job under civil service
status.
Jealousies quickly developed
and still exist. Often the AAA
and it's successor. the PIMA, have
been accused of attempting to
take over tasks which had been
assigned other agencies.
The possibility that PIMA will be
shaken up, even possibly disman-
tied, is based on these facts:
/. Republicans have been par
ticularly critical of what some of
them have called farm regimen
tation" policies administered by
the PIMA.
2. Farmer as we'll as political
critics have contended the PIMA
has neglected the field of market
ing farm products. Instead, they
claim, the PIMA has been content
tC go along with "outmoded" pro-
duction control and farm subsidy
programs.
3. These same critics also have
charged the PIMA was fast being
made a political machine to keep
farmers in line.
4. The grain shortage scandals
uncovered last winter involved
programs handled by the PIMA.
Government grain which had been
stored with some private concerns
was diverted to private use, with
losses running in several million
dollars.
S. PIMA relations with the pub
lie. particularly the press. have not
always been smooth. Frequently,
complaints are made that the
PIMA. with its own staff of infor-
nation men, has been slow to sup
ply information on its broad field
of activity.
The Eisenhower administration
is expected by farm leaders to do
away with the PIMA as such and to
set up a super marketing admin
istration to concentrate on the
problem of expanding markets forl
farm products. Bigger markets
could be expected to reduce the
need for price support and farm
subsidy programs.
The new administration Is COM
mitted. however, to retain price
supports. 1t undoubtedly will find
it necessary from time to time to
use production control measures to
prevent accumulation of big sur
pluses. But these programs are
expected to be given secondary
place.
At present the PIMA has nearly
one-f1fth of the $4,000 full-time
workers employed by the depart
ment'S Is agencies.