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Show rVashington. pSorfJu ncoa J DESPITE THE FACT that the American farmer is supposed to be represented In Washington by at least four powerful farm organizations organ-izations which have some Influence with the congres?, the farmer appeals ap-peals to be the forgotten man, insofar in-sofar as this congress is concerned. The American farmers are near-ing near-ing a financial crisis and need strengthened farm price supports. At the same time, such farm organizations or-ganizations as the American Farm Bureau Federation, and the National Nation-al Grange, to a lesser extent, no longer represent the Individual farm membership so much as they represent the thinking of the big business groups which have to do with farm crops and purchases. Despite the recent prediction by the department of agriculture of another record crop for 1952, a report re-port of the senate agriculture committee com-mittee shows that farm debts have Increased 100 per cent and farm net Income will show a decrease under 1950. So far In 1952, farm prices have averaged three per cent lower than the average of all 1951, and all major purchased items are expected to add to a rise In production costs. The bureau of agriculture economics' eco-nomics' warning that real farm income in-come will be three to five per cent lower than in 1951, actually lower than In any year during the past 10 years. Is based on a presumption of record crops and a total cash yield which may be slightly above the $32 billion of last year. However, How-ever, farm production expense, which jumped 12 per cent last year. Is still climbing, and price increases in-creases for feed and fertilizer, hired labor, taxes. Interest, rents and most other expenses will add to the total production cost. JThls reduction in farm net income In a period of predicted record crop production pro-duction is made in the face of an expected rise of at least three per cent in the total national income. Some recognition must be given to the naUonal farmers union and the lone fight it made against congressional con-gressional slashes In the agricultural agri-cultural appropriation bill, and particularly par-ticularly against disastrous cuts In the agricultural conservation payments. The Farm Bureau held out for a cut from $250 million, as provided In the budget, to $100 million while the National Grange demanded a complete slash of the entire amount. During debate on this program, more than a dozen congressmen took the floor In opposition op-position to the two bigger farm organizations, or-ganizations, something ususual In these times. In the face of the declining farm Income, food prices are going up and the office of price administration administra-tion says they are powerless to prevent It under the existing law and in the face of the Capehart amendment. As as matter of fact, grocers are not waiting for rulings, but are taking canned goods and other Items off their shelves, not new purchases, and marking them up. OPS Is helpless. But the farmers farm-ers are being given the blame for price Increases when they are blameless. ' At the start of this congress it appeared there was no hope at all for any Improvement in price support laws. As a result of the operation of the Capehart amendment amend-ment which has made application of controls Impossible, there may be a stronger price control : act. Consumer credit . organizations, while admitting there are some 3,500,000 refrigerators and other millions of household appliances In inventories, are NOT content with the federal reserve board rulings lifting applications of regulations governing consumer credits, but favor holding on to the controls as a stand-by, if necessary, to clamp down again. These manufacturers and consumer credit organizations want all controls repealed. They are not satisfied with suspension, despite the fact they can't sell refrigerators re-frigerators in Inventory at present prices. The question of why President Truman did not Invoke or act under the Taft-Hartley act has been highlighted in the steel arguments. argu-ments. In the first place, the President Pres-ident sought to prevent a shut down of the steel mills. There is nothing in the Taft-Hartley act which would have prevented a shut down, and, as a matter of fact, invocation of this act would have of a certainly cer-tainly shut down the mills for at least two to three weeks. erous other details about the big day, don't miss this up-to-the-minute wedding guide in ' The New American Weekly, that great magazine distributed with next Sunday's Los Angeles Examiner. Ex-aminer. , |