Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-05

In his state of the Union !
the administration goals for cas-
the President said:
"Our national farm policy,
people and all of us. must not
become a field for political war
fare. Too much is at stake"
The message. in effect. re-
iterated earlier generalized poll
cies for getting rid of the So
billion crop surplus in Govern
ment storage and for taking
steps to avoid recurrence Of this
pile-up.
Special Message Monday
A special, detailed agriculture
message will go to Capitol Hill,
Monday. The President will put
his final approval on that mes
sage at a Key West conference
with Secretary of Agriculture
Benson tomorrow.
IT shall urge authorization Of
a soil bank program to alleviate
the problem of diverted acres
and an over-expanded agricul-
tural plant" the President said.
This will include an acreage
reserve to reduce current and
accumulated SURPRISES of crops
in most serious difficulty, and a
conservation reserve to achieve
other needed adjustment in the
use of agricultural resources. I
shall urge measures to strengthen
our surplus disposal activities.
II shall propose measures to
strengthen individual commodity
programs, to remove controls
where possible, to reduce carry
overs. and to stop further ac-
foundations of SURPRISES. I shall
ask the Congress to provide sub
stantial new funds for an ex-
banded drive on the research
front, to develop new markets,
new crops and new uses. The
rural development program to
better the lot of low-income
farm families deserves full con-
gressional support. The Great
Plains program (dust bowl
reclamation) must go forward
vigorously. Advances on these
and other fronts will pull down
the price-depressing SURPRISES
and raise farm income"
"Of Great Concern to All"
The President said that the
farm slump is "of great concern
to all of US" and took an oblique
crack at the previous Demo-
cratic administration for retain
ing high price supports, which
spawned the crop surplus. after
wartime needs had declined.
Farmers are not now to be
blamed for the mountainous,
price-depressing SURPRISES pro-
duced in response to wartime
policies and laws that we're too
long continued" he said. WAR
markets are not the markets Of
peacetime. Failure to recognize
that basic fact by a timely ad-
justment of wartime legislation
brought its inevitable result in
peacetime - SURPRISES. lower
prices and lower income for
farmers"
The President said his farm
message would embody the
steps that should be taken
promptly to speed the transition
in agriculture and thus assist our
farmers to achieve their fair
share of the national income"
Even as the Presidents mes
sage was read. Capitol Hill was
its legislative machinery
for quick action on the crucial
farm problem, which this year
carries heavy political overtones.
A preview of administration
thinking already had been fur
nished Senate and House agri-
culture committeeman by Sec
rotary Benson.
At the same time, the Senate
Agriculture Committee, which
has been working on the farm
problem since early fall, was
hammering out its own program,
in hopes of getting completed
legislation to the White House
by February Is.
Must Reconcile Views
AS the product finally emerges
from Capitol Hill it will have to
reconcile Senate-and admins
tration-views with a measure
passed by the Democratic-con-
trolled House at the last session
which would restore the high,
rigid supports for the big basic
crops which the Republicans
jettisoned two years ago in favor
of a sliding scale of payments
While only the broad outlines
of both administration and Sem
ate proposals have been made
public. they have in common one
key factor: Reduction of the
overhanging crop SURPRISES
which have served as crop-price
depressers. with safeguards
against future oversupplies.
Basically, this is the Soil-bank
idea, which has strong backing
in the farm country. 1t is de-
signed to reduce production