Milford chronicle., 1958-01-24
FARMERS AND TWO PRICES

confronting the second session of the 85th
Congress. If it were not for the information
al situation, the farm situation might be the
No. ] issue confronting Congress at this
time.
Farmers, generally speaking have been
traditiOnally reluctant to accept subsidies in
direct form. Now, it seems, they may be
faced with the question of accepting some
sort of direct subsidy, or differential, if the
farm program is to be organized along the
best interests of the taxpayer.
In reference to the crops which are sup
ported by the Department of Agriculture,
the present system is to guarantee certain
price for a crop, for so many acres planted,
and for the Government to store this crop if
the farmer cannot sell it for the parity price
The strongest proposal on Capitol Hill at
present is one to substitute plan whereby
the farmer would be paid the differential
between the free market price and the parity
price.
This would take the Government out of
the storage business, saving the taxpayer
hundreds of millions of dollars, would allow
farm exports to DE increased, since they
would sell at lower price, and would allow
American manufacturers to buy farm goods,
such as cotton, at lower price-thereby i'm
proving their competitive situation in regard
to foreign manufacturers.
In summary, each segment of the popula-
tiOn would gain under the new arrangement
Some objections have been made to this sys-
tenn by farmers on the grounds that direct
payments from the Department of Agricul-
ture to the farmer are an Objectionable form
of farm support We do not think these OBJ
jections are valid and that they should stand
in the way of enactment of this new price
support system.
Another good feature of the proposed
system is that farmers would be allowed to
plant as much of any crop as they wished.
They would receive support only on GER
tain quantity of the crop concerned and not
for SO many acres-0n which production
varies and can be varied. We hope Con-
gress will include the many good features of
this proposed farm program in it's 1853
Farm Bill If such a bill should pass Con-
gress, the Eisenhower administration would
be obligated to give it every consideration,
largely failed, and since the soil bank pro-
gram, Benson's latest trial in this field, is
now an admitted flop.
1NZo&E
STRATEGY HAS NOT CHANGED
What influence, if any, do the enor-
nous changes that have been taking place in
the world have on the Importance of the
y. S. merchant marine as an arm of defense?
An answer to that extremely relevant
question is provided by Rear Admiral Walter
c.. Ford, u. S. N. (Ret), writing in the
United States Naval Institute Proceedings:
"Our national policy today requires that the
United States maintain Navy and Mer-
chant Marine capable of carrying on war
fare anywhere in the world. The strategy
of naval warfare securing the sealances
against enemy attack in order that shipping
can transport forces, material and supplies
needed to conquer, occupy and police enemy
oh
the passage of time, even though weapons
have grown more complex
He quotes, with approval, statement
made last summer by Secretary of, the Navy
Gates @. A large, modern, and well-bal-
anced American merchant marine is posi-
lively vital to our defense planning, as with
out it, in time of war, neither the military
effort nor the war economy of our Nation
could be supported. ;"
In the course of his article, Admiral Ford
traces in detail the development of our mer-
chant marine policy over the years. That
policy must recognize the fact he describes
in these words: "The high cost of United
States shipbuilding and high cost of ship
operation in peacetime makes it essential
that we devise aids to private industry in
order that this essential arm Of our nationa
defense can be preserved and that we are
not forced to maintain government owned
and operated merchant fleet" The purpose
is to build, replace and support the kind of
merchant fleet we so urgently need-at the
most moderate cost possible.
GERN&
A BOW is DESERVED
The movement away from the farms has
not meant the development of corporate
farms in this country but rather the
strengthening of the family farm. The pro-
portion of family farms to the total number
has held steady in recent years. The trend
is toward larger mechanized farms operated
by single family with little or no outside
labor.
The key word in that last sentence is
mechanical" Modern farm equipment has
made possible whole new concept of the
family farm. 1t is business and a profes-