Show THE DAILY WASHINGTON M Round Merry e r r y G o R o u n d 1 Trade MarkBy Mark MUk MarkBy By DREW PEARSON and ROBERT ALLEN WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Consider Consider the lowly potato Along with bread it is the most common article of oC food in every home Yet in two years of processing taxes and crop restriction it has re remained remained remained re- re unscathed But now the po potato's atos ato's time has come The new deal for potatoes is under way In Ina a brief period spuds will cost more But behind the new deal for potatoes is a astory astory astory story of stage back-stage lobbying as unique and at times as mysterious as any which has intrigued the capital in many a day Chief lobbyists arc are Senator William Edgar Borah from the great potato state of Idaho Representative Lindsay Warren who comes from the potato growing seaboard of oC North Carolina Representative Ralph Brewster hitting hard governor ex-governor of Maine and the Bangor Aroostook Aroostook Aroostook railroad in Maine which hauls more potatoes potatoes potatoes pota pota- toes than any other line linein in the world Hesitant Lobbyists Two of oC these were not not- nota a at first enthusiastic lobbyists Senator Borah is is not partial to crop control He opposed the Bankhead act which limited the domain of King Cotton and fought the Smith Kerr-Smith act which curbed tobacco But Idaho is one of the great reat potato-growing potato states of the union and Senator Borah faces serious opposition when he comes up for re reelection reelection reelection re- re I election next year So dropping temporarily his campaign against the world court the dean of the senate went over to the potato conference at the department of agriculture My liMy state he said is lIis very much interested in potatoes We Ve produce a very fine potato I am not quite familiar with the plan Mr Warren Warren Warren War War- ren has offered but I can say frankly that my state is interested in this situation n. More of this from the veteran parliamentarian parliamentarian following which he went back to the senate High Rail Rates Even less enthusiastic about pot potato to crop re reduction reduction reduction re- re was the Bangor Aroostook railroad For it the transportation of potatoes has been beena a gold mine Even during the depression it paid high dividends Only over its tracks can the crop of Aroostook county most concentrated ed raising potato-raising area in the world reach a market The railroad has lobbied vigorously against R F C financing of oC an extension line which v would break this stranglehold As a result of this monopoly rates between Bangor and New NewYork NewYork NewYork York are four times as high high in in proportion to mileage mileage mileage-as as the haul between New York and Idaho This year however a bumper crop plus low prices loaded up the warehouses with pounds of potatoes Most of oC them were controlled by the government through the farm credit administration Farmers in Aroostook county wanted the government government gov gov- to give ive them their crop But S. S M. M Garwood of the F C A looked the situation over and proclaimed that he was pot not running a arc re relief relief re- re lief agency If th the railroads and the warehouses will cut rates the will government bear its share he finally proposed Whereupon the railroad suddenly became as enthusiastic about crop reduction as Senator Borah Frank Wright vice president of the B. B A. A has been in Washington much of the time since He has given Governor Brann of Maine pleasant pleasant pleas pleas- ant trips in his private car He has done much chinning with his long life crony Cordell Hull who recently has reduced the tariff on winter potatoes from Cuba by 50 per cent And he has stood his ground as a fervent champion of the lowly potato A A A Deal Most effective potato lobbyists however are representatives Warren and Brewster The former former former for for- mer wanted to introduce a regulation crop-regulation bill the first day of congress However the A A A AhUn Ahung Ahung hUn hung back There were two reasons reasons for its re re- re First regulation of the potato crop will be tremendously complicated Potatoes are arc not grown on large farms There are growers with an average acreage of less than one Everybody has potatoes in his own back yard Second the A A A wanted to put across a subtle deal Get your congressman to pass the amendments amendments amend amend- ments to our A A A the they t t told ld potato farmers and well we'll put through your potato program However it looks as ns if legislation would not wait for this Potato prices' prices are too low for the farmer even to pay costs His fertilizer is up 50 per cent and kept up by posted prices under under under un un- un- un der the N R A code So his crop is taken away from him by his the minute he harvests harvests har bar vests it Potato crop control will be modeled after the tobacco act each act each state allotted a fixed crop and each cach grower given an allotment within the state Those who exceed their allotment must pay a tax of oC half a cent a pound This the housewife in the end will pay ay I 1935 fJ by Sr United Future Syndicate atc In Inc C |