Milford chronicle., 1954-01-22
MILFORD'S CITY ELECTION

MILFORD'S CITY ELECTION
We have just had another city election
in Milford. The results were just about what
experienced observers had anticipated. Ger
tainly no outstanding questions of city man
agement or city policy were decided at the
polls on Monday afternoon. AS we view it,
the May0rality contest had developed into
a scrap between persOnalitieS-and that, in
our opinion, was what the large majority Of
those who went to the polls were voting on.
Mayor Evans, as had been expected, defeat
ed his opponents, Albert Peterman and Per-
cy Haughey with a vote which more than
equaled the combined total of both of his adj
VersarieS. Seasoned observers of Milfords
tangled local city affairs would have been
more than surprised had the vote been
otherwise.
For several years past Mr. Peterman
has been an agitatOr for policies which were
at variance to those of the city government.
He opposed bond issues for sewage work
On the larger issue the vote was against.
But, in our opinion, Mr. Peterman did not
carry the weight that many thought. 1t
was just question of Milford residents, as
a group, feeling that this amount was not
needed. A smaller bond issue was approved
later.
City Council has organized with it's first
woman member, Mrs. Mildred Webster, hav-
ing been seated. She has succeeded James
Humes, whom we considered the best quail
fed member of that group. 1t would seem
that the time has now arrived where the
opposition led by Mr.. Peterman should stop
sounding off at every opportunity, and that
the new gaHized4 Council should. begiHen
an opportunity to work out its program in
an orderly manner. In the last two cleo
tions Mr.. Peterman has gone down to de-
feat. 1t would seem that the voters do not
approve his program for Milford.
Milford residents will be happy if Mayor
Evans and City Council can work out
plan whereby the meetings of Council may
be shortened and the useless "oratory" on
the part of both the cOuncilmen and delega-
tons appearing before that group may be
neld to a minimum. Once this waste of time
has been accomplished, the Chronicle is
ready and eager to cover the proceedings of
Council in order that our citizens may be
better informed. In the past, this has been
impossible. The results were just not worth
the effort. Maybe the new female member
OF Council can make some suggestions along
this line. We hope so.
5000
FLEXIBLE THINKING NEEDED TOO
The need for the Administrations new
farm plan, based on putting an end to rigid
price supports and activating the flexible
supports voted long ago by overwhelming
maJorltles of both parties in Congress,
should be apparent to everyone.
AS Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft
Benson has said himself, 6" the pres
ent farm program is proving unavoidable.
Huge SURPRISES are mounting steadily. At
the same time farm purchasing power has
dropped in spite OF aggressive application Of
price support laws now on the books"
Surplus commodity investments of the
Commodity Credit Corporation, he pointed
out have more than doubled in the past year
alone Jumping from two billion dollars in
October 1852 to fOur-and-a-half billion dol
lars in 1858, the Gees financial obligations
are now pressing hard against the $780,
100000 limitation of its borrowing power"
obviously, the only possible reason for
continuance OF the present program would
be to benefit American farmers, but, as Mr..
Benson reiterated, in spite of the rigid sup
port OF prices at 80 per cent of parity 'farm
income has gone down."
Neither farmer nor consumer finds much
comfort In bulging warehouses filled with
foOdStuffs (sOne rather perishable) that
Won't move because the Government has
priced them out OF the market-using money
the taxpayer might have spent on this food
il he had had chance.
Nor is there much comfort in expOrtinO
this misbegotten bounty at loss-even to
friendly nations. And, as much of burden
as that surplus butter is, most Americans
are seeing red over the proposal to sell it to
Russia for 40 cents pound, when their Gov
eminent paid 81 cents of their money for
every pound, and Mrs. America has to pay
eighty cents at the corner grocery.
After years of stalling, since passage of
the bipartisan Farm Acts of 1913 and 1949.
the need for action to move these staggering
SURPRISES and to prevent such wicked and
Fulnous accumulations in the future can no
longer be ignored.
In his press conference, a reporter asked
tne President to comment on some Congress
lonal opinions that the farm program was