Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-12-08
BY DAVID KooNCE

Ezra Taft Benson. the dogeedly
persistent Secretary Of Agriculture.
obviously will be staying in WASH
ington for some time. His state
ment to that effect last Tuesday
was so emphatic that 1t could
hardly have been made without at
least the tacit approval Of Presi-
dent Eisenhower himself.
There are two significant con-
illusions that observers are draw
ing from this fact; ~ The adj
ministration in the coming session
Of Congress intends to take advan-
tage Of the split In the farm bloc
to give its farm legislation pro-
posals q new and stronger boost:
and 90 that Republicans are
willing to gamble Midwest farm
support. which they have been los
ing in great chunks in the past
year, for the support OF the urban
consumer voter in 1858 and 1860.
The falling out among members
Of the once-powerful congress
sional farm bloc last summer has
so weakened its strength that the
administration might have good
reason to believe that the disaf-
lection. in the face Of a more or
less solid front Of urban law
makers. for the first time offers
real opportunity TO get the kind
Of farm legislation 1t wants.
The Proerom
Its program. generally. con-
siSts Of
. More fiexibility in price sup
ports-from so TO rs per cent.
and in some cases perhaps none.
There also will be another attempt
to remove the escalator formula
from the support law. under which
the Secretary is required TO in
crease supports as SURPRISES
dwindle This, argues Mr.. Ben
son. is q built-in surplus-builder.
. The virtual abandonment OF
the short-term feature of the soil
bank. the acreage reserve. with q
switch in emphasis to the long
range conservation reserve. which
would result in less immediate cost
to Uncle Sam. This would be the
only completely new recommen-
dalton for farm legislation)
Q An end to acreage allotments
for corn and the treatment Of all
grains fed to livestock as one COM
modify.
. Extension Of the surplus dis
poSal programs.
Price supports now range be-
tween rs and 90 per cent Of the
parity price-a figure purported
to be a fair return for the farmer
based on his costs. The Secretary
Of Agriculture follows law in de-
termining the level under flexible
supports. setting the level by
weighing various supply and de-
mand factors. Mr.. Benson wants
Congress to permit him TO lower
price supports as far as he feels
is necessary to discourage overpro-
duction In the face Of surplus.
PIonned Encouragement
II Is reasoned that. II growers
are not guaranteed q price for
their crops. they will be less in
clined TO grow q crop whose price
will be depressed by an already
existent glut.
Feed grains in general and corn
in particular provide the greatest
trouble. Surplus-wiSe. Wallaces
Farmer and Iowa Homestead. the
authoritative farm paper. pointed
out recently that 1858 crops Of
feed grains could be the worst in
so years and carryover stocks next
october would still be as large
as they were on October l. 1852.
The administration has long
felt that acreage allotments for
corn Just don't do the job OF re-
ducing surpluses. There actually
is plenty Of reason to believe that
they abet in increasing surplus
feed grains. for whenever q farm
er's corn acreage is cut. he almost
invariably puts the spare acres in
grain sorghums and other live
stock feed crops.
The allotment system doesn't
even seem 10 reduce corn output
Since 1850 corn has been cut by