Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-02-13
| Farm Price Speech
BY Benson Draws
Fire From Congress
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
Farm State congressman fired
| harsh words today at the first
official speech Of Secretary of
Agriculture Benson and left adj
ministration farm officials pug
zled.
They hardly know what to do
about complaints that Secretary
Benson is not taking aggressive
action to halt the farm price de-
cline.
The administrations farm Of
ficials aren't talking publicly
about congressional complaints
because they still hope to main
tain close relations with the
lawmakers. But they point out
privately that Secretary Benson
has pledged to carry out all the
price support programs set up by
the Democrats.
Speech Criticized.
Most of the criticism Of the
Benson speech came from Dem
ocrats, gleeful over what they
feel is going to be a key issue in
the 1854 congressional elections,
especially if farm prices keep
sliding.
But one Republican Senator.
Young of North Dakota, COM
mented that IF President Eisen-
hover ha depressed the same
views in the campaign, he
wouldn't have received the votes
o fthe farm States"
II just can't see how the Re-
publican Party can afford to
take that kind of position" Sen
ator Young declared.
Disaster Insurance.
In the speech at st. Paul
Tuesday, Secretary Benson
called Government price sup
ports an insurance against dis
aSter."
Secretary Benson said price
supports should not be used to
encourage "uneconomic produc-
ton of heavy SURPRISES.
He called for a shift away
from Government bounty" and
toward free enterprise" in agri-
culture.
Senator Humphrey. Democrat.
of Minnesota said lit appears
we're getting the 1853 edition OF
prosperity is just around the
corner"
Senator Maybank. Democrat.
of South Carolina said the Bank
ing Committee, on which he is
senior minority member, should
quiz Secretary Benson on his
price-support views.
IF this speech is an indica-
ton of the policy-thinklng on
the part of the new Secretary"
Senator Maybank said. then
God help the poor, Woodworking
dirt farmers"
Senator Monroney, Democrat.
of Oklahoma, declared that ii
the Agriculture Secretary I'm
tends to wait until disaster
strikes the farm economy be-
fore he tries to remedy it, he
will find it will take him longer
than his four-year tenure, OF
Office to end a farm depression"
Price Support Situation. p
Wheat, corn, cotton, rice. to-
bacco and peanuts are supported
at go per cent Of parity-the
level set by Congress under the
Truman administration.
Other crops and products are
being supported at levels set by
former Secretary Brannan un-
der the Democratic adminiStra-
ton. Only in the case OF beef
cattle, hogs, poultry, eggs, and
some fruits and vegetables are
there no price supports. Much
of the recent decline in prices
has been in livestock.
Benson aides point out that
Mr.. Brannan did not choose to
set up price supports for meat
animals and poultry products,
and would not do so now if he
held firm to his previously stated
views. Secretary Brannan con-
tended it. was not feasible to
support livestock items because
Congress did not provide a
workable method.
Benson assistants also note
that the cattle industry has con-
siStently opposed Government
price supports and controls.
Cotton Export Urged.
A cotton industry advisory
committee recommended yester-
day that the Government take
more aggressive action to encour-
age exports of cotton for the pur-
pose of bolstering sagging prices
and averting return TO crop con-
trolls.
Comforting at a closed meeting
with Secretary Benson and oth@+
Agriculture officials, 81 leaders
of various phases of the industry
also urged an educational pro-
gram to inform growers of a need
for smaller production this year.
The meeting was called by Sec
rotary Benson, who said he wishes
to avoid a cotton surplus this
year which would make rigid
production controls necessary