Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-10
New Farm Bill
is Cleared for
Senate Action
BY JOSEPH A. FOX

The revamped farm bill today
was headed for the Senate floor
where it is due to be taken up
the latter part of next week.
The House-approved measure
was voted out by the Senate
Agriculture Comm ittee last
night. 1871, with Senator Aiken,
Republican Of Vermont. a White
House farm spokesman, with
holding his vote.
Senator Aiken has been crit
ical of some provisions of the
bill. and with Senator Schoeppel,
Republican of Kansas. reserved
the right to oppose on the floor
a new-and higher-scale of
feed grain prices. principal
source of controversy in the new
measure. President Eisenhower
also has objected to this pro-
vision which has been modified
from the form he earlier OPP
posed when it was included in
the farm bill he vetoed last
month.
Senator Aiken said today that
if the feed grain provision is not
killed in the Senate he will rec
ommend the bill be vetoed. He
repeated it would hurt livestock
and poultry growers.
A prominent House Republi-
can, who did not want to be
quoted by name, has said he
would not be worried about a
veto because of this program.
Senator Williams, Republican
of Delaware, voted against re-
porting the bill out.
Speed Still Uncertain
The speed at which the bill
moves to final passage will de-
pend on the amount of oratory
involved when the Senate takes
lit up and then the length of
time involved in adjusting diff
ferences with the House.
There is. however, general
agreement that the measure,
under discussion since January,
should be disposed of quickly
so farmers will know what is
ahead of them. The planting
season already is under way,
but the Department of Agricul-
ture repeatedly is ready to move
fast on the soil-bank program,
the key crop-reducing feature
of the legislation.
The Senate Committee adopted
the $1.2 billion soil bank plan
favored by the administration,
but went along with the House
and denied President Eisenhower
the right to make advance pay
ments of about $500 million to
participants contracting to take
cropland out of production.
Called Election Gesture
Democrats have insisted that
this is an election-year gesture,
and contend that under the soil
bank program now in the bill.
farmers could collect all of their
payments this year by complying
instead of the so per cent con-
templated by the Eisenhower
plan.
Chairman Ellender of the Sem
ate Agriculture Committee. said
the report that will go to the
Senate with the bill will spell out
the Committees intentions in re-
gard to the payment plan.
In addition to the controversial
feed grain provision, which was
in the House measure. the Senate
bill also includes variations of
theproposals to which the White
House has objected. One would
freeze the present parity base
for two years. and prevent a
decline in the supports for
wheat, corn and peanuts sched-
uled for the 1857 and 1858 crops.
This was sponsored by Senator
Young, Republican of North
Dakota. who has argued that the
drop means more trouble in the
Farm Belt.
Chairman Ellender also put
over a two-price rice amend
mept, which would set high-level
supports for domestic and lower
guarantees for shipments going
into the world market.
Inauguration of the plan, how
ever. would be optional with the
Secretary of Agriculture. 1t was
mandatory in the vetoed bill,
and was criticized by President
Eisenhower.
Prince to See Soviet