Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-03
Flexible Farm Prop
|Baekers Now Hope
For Senate Victory
!. BY Robert K Welsh

that would assure ana perhaps
improve their gain In i House
approved provision for an s2h
to 90 per cent range.
House Republican leaders won
q notable vlctory-in which the
| White House shared to 1 sub
stantial extent when the House
late yesterday passed q 1854
agricultural act containing that
sliding scale provision.
The key controversial section
went through on q 228-to-l70
roll cali. The 1872 Republicans
favoring 1t were joined by AZ
Democrats and one independent,
mainly from metropolitan areas
They were opposed by lat Demo-
Gratis and % Republicans. Many
members from dairy and wool
producing States sided with the
Republican majority.
The vote not only sustained q
test tally Of 179 to 1874 last
Thursday. but also upheld Re-
publican leaders who offered the
proposal as compromise in the
price supports battle.
Opposing Plans.
The Eisenhower administra-
ton had asked for a flexible
scale in which supports would
range from rs to 80 per cent of
parity. a formula aimed at guar
anteeing to the farmer q fair
rate Of return for his production
in relation to his costs.
House groups. mostly Demo-
cratic, but also including many
farm State Republicans and
members Of the House Agricul-
ture Committee. wanted to con-
tine for another year the man
datory high price supports at
80 per cent Of parity on wheat,
corn, cotton, rice. tobacco and
peanuts.
While the administration did
not get all it asked, Republican
House leaders regarded the 821a
per cent compromise" as a
substantial gain. Floor Leader
Halleck of Indiana declared the
amendment at least "re-estab-
fishes the principle Of fexibility .
Others predicted it stood q
good chance of being accepted by
the Senate in view of the decisive
margin in the House. They re-
called that the Senate Agricul-
ture Committee recently reported
out a 80 per cent provision by
an 8 to z vote, whereas the
House committee voted II to 4
to recommend continuance OF
the mandatory high supports.
See Close Senate Vote
Senate Committee Chairman
Aiken, of Vermont, backing a
flexible supports plan, and SEN
ator Young, Republican, Of North
Dakota. who sponsored the high
supports extension move in the
Senate, have predicted only that
a Senate vote on the issue would
be very close.
President Eisenhower was be-
lieved ready to veto the farm
bill If the high supports provi-
sion were retained. The result
in the House was regarded to-
day as likely to relieve him of
that problem in a congressional
election year. If the Senate re-
fused to accept the House YER
sion and adopted the 80 per
cent Of parity provision, the
conflict would go to conference
with the House as well as the
administration in a strong posi-
ton. In such an event it seemed
unlikely that conferees would
agree on anything higher than
IS per cent.
Even If the bill was vetoed,
the White House would stand to
gain because flexible supports
at IS to 80 per cent Of parity
would go into effect automati-
cally next year under. previous
legislation.
Adoption Of the compromise
amendment, and passage of the
voice vote, ended three days of
lively and sometimes bitter de-
bate.
Dairy Provisions.
In other moves yesterday the
House:
J.. Left in the bill q section
that provides for dairy price
supports at 80 per cent Of parity
from next September to March.
Secretary Of Agriculture Benson
lowered these levels to rs per
cent last April /. The House de-
feated. 108 to 81. a move by Rep
resentative Andersen, Republi-
can, Of Minnesota, to put dairy
price supports at 82h per cent
of parity. It also defeated
other proposals to boost the level
to 80 per cent and to increase it
to rs per cent.
2. Retained in the bill q pro-
vision that would allow the Sec
rotary Of Agriculture to restore
potatoes to the price supports
program. A 1850 enactment
banned inclusion Of potatoes in
the program.
3. Defeated an amendment
that would have struck out the
two price plan" for wheat.
4. Ruled out of order an
amendment by Representative
Roosevelt. Democrat, of New
York, to increase the milk allo-
cation for the armed services.
5. Adopted. 76-71, an amend
ment by Representative Yates,
Democrat, of Illinois, setting
price supports for shorn wool at
a maximum Of lilo per cent Of
fas7 !