The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1953-11-13
BenSonS Two Price Plan Is Sliding Scale In Disguise

Farmers Are Urged To Beware Of Drive To
Weaken Price Supports
1t appears probable that the attack
against strong and effective farm price supports
will be presented in the form of "two-prce'
scheme
The wheat advisory commission" hand-picked
by Secretary Benson, has drawn up 1.-TWO price,
proposal as its recommendation 1t is receiving pow
erfu support from within the grain trade and milling
industries The National Grange has long been urg-
ing the adoption of such plan to replace the pres
ent program.
President Patton of the Farmers Union has
warned that the two-price plan sis another way
of imposing the sliding scale formula" He
warns that "any form of the tWo-price formula
must necessarily result in a much lower blended
price to the farmer for his total product"
The 1.-TWO price plan submitted by Department
of Agriculture officials to the Wheat Advisory Com
mission is proposed a substitute for the present
900 of parity supports, which expire in 1854, and
for the sliding scale" law that is due to go into eff
feet in 1855
Under this plan farmers would get one price
higher price-for the part of their crop allotted for
domestic food use. They would get another lower
price for the portion of their crop allotted for export
and feed
The results to farmers would be about the
firm price supports Of the present type
at about 1870 of party-the bottom of the "slid
ing scale" law which is scheduled to take effect
in 1855 unless changed by Congress.
THE LOW PRICE-The plan provides for non
loans like the present price support loans,
all wheat. These loans would support the Glow
price" at a level slightly above" the support price
then in effect for corn.
The Glow price" for wheat would be about $135
per bushe if the two price plan in effect under
t0days supply conditions.
THE HIGH PRICE = In addition to the
Glow price," farmers would get a production
payment of 6Oc per bushel or less wheat pro-
duced on acreage within their domestic food
marketing allotment" Those allotments would
be based the farmers share of the total &C
reage needed for domestic food
A DREAD TAX" would be used to FL
nance the production payments to farmers.
Those payments would be made In the form of
marketing certificates, which the farmer could
cash In at his bank. Millers would have to buy
marketing certificates equivalent to the amount
of wheat used in any product sold for domestic
food consumption and would pass the to
their customers.
PRODUCTION CONTROLS, like the &C
reage allotments and marketing quotas in pres
laws, would be provided to regulate the
amount of wheat that any farmer coull sell for
feed or export. A private "wheat marketing
control association instead of the Dept. of Ag-
riculture, however, would administer the con-
trolls. Decisions the control policies would
be made by two-thirds vote of the farmers in a
referendum to be supervised by the Dept. of Ag-
rculture. Such controls would be contemplated
when the slow price" threatened to drop to the
support loan level
HOW WILL 1T EFFECT INCOME?
The actual level at which the price would be sup
ported under the price plan is different for each
and every farmer. The average price per bushel you
realize on your wheat will depend on the amount of
wheat you produce and sell above the domestic food
marketing allotment" assigned to you. The more
you produce the lower the average price will be.
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