Diario las Américas., 1958-02-02

SKIES MOVES IN - Two weeks
ago we told how Congressman Bob
Skies had called a meeting of the
Florida Delegation to urge a uni
fled stand on military construc
ton in Florida. And now, to fur
ther strengthen his hand, and
protect vital building projects,
Skies has managed to have himself
named vice-chairman of a special
newly created subcommittee that
will deal with all military cons
truction. All appropriations deal
ing with military construction will
be in the hands of this small group.
Skies has been trying to streng
then our military year after year
(he's a colonel in thee r~eserves),
and certainly his new position will
give him opportunities to move in
that direction.
CUTTING RED TAPE - Thanks
to a bit of persuasive talking on
the part of Senator Holland, thou
sands of starving cattle in Cen
trail Florida will be fed this week
- without the necessity of their
owners signifi the usual "pauper's
oath" for the grain.
Up until now, when a disaster
area is set up and feed is diStribut
ed, a farmer hasn't been able to Sc
cure emergency feed unless he
signed a paper saying he was
broke. If he had any assets, he was
expected to sell them. After that,
the government might help if the
man needed it. The principle was
one which said that if you have
three starving animals you should
sell one to feed the other two.
In other cases THE processing of
loans took so much time that the
cattle could starve while waiting
cattle could starve while waiting
for the papers to clear through
normal governmental channels. But
Senator Holland this week prevail
ed on the Department of Agricul-
ture to release food at once, with
out the oath and without the
long drawn out red tape. Until
February 9Th, when the program
will be reviewed, cattle feed in
Central Florida will be handed out
regardless of a farmers ability to
pay. Holland said, "Save the cat
tie first, then let's get the pay
ments Strengthened out. This is an
emergency" All of this feed is
oats or corn from the Commodity
Credit Corporations vast stock of
farm surplus.
HO HUM = There is a story
going around Capitol Hill about
the Congressman who told his
friend about a dream he had the
night before. He said, 81 dreamed
was making a speech on the
floor OF the House, and when ]
woke up, l was" That is as bad as q
speech | made not long ago in Pen
nsylvania. AS was about half way
through my speech q had been
talking about an hour), a fellow
in the audience went to sleep.
His wife tried to wake him up,
She thumped him on the head
with her thimble. He sat up and
said, Honey, you'll have to hit
me harder than that. l can still
hear him."
ROSY OUTLOOK? - Sooner or
later, everything gets into politics,
Now it is roses. Congressman Jim
Davis, of Georgia, has introduced a
bill to make the rose our national
flower. That's all right with Geor.
gia. Their state flower is the Che.
rokee Rose. But what about every.
body else? What about the orange
blossom? You'll never get 531 DO.
liticians to agree on one flower.
Each will be under pressure from
the folks back home to push for
their favorite flower. And any way
you look at it, the bill will never
even get to a vote until somebody
finds out whether a rose is Repub.
lican or Democratic. How can you
vote until you know which side
you are on?
WASHINGTON SCENE - Here
for the annual meeting of the Ma
tional Agricultural Limestone In
stitute was R. M. whit" Palmer
Jr., of Dolomite Products, Inc.
Ocala. Seen in the Statler chatting
with Florida Congressman Bob
Skies, Jim Haley, and sgd Her
long.