Wickard to Farmers

Farmer Claude Wickard* wants to produce, as all farmers do. Secretary of Agriculture Claude Wickard wants to get along with people, as administrators must. Last week he jumped off the fence he had straddled between his two instincts.

Eight months ago Farmer Wickard, the producer in favor of production, supported the stand of the grasping Congressional farm bloc. Results: 1) The price control bill assured farmers a hefty chunk of money by prohibiting ceiling prices on farm products until the market price reached 110% of the 1909-14 purchasing power; 2) the bill gave Farmer Wickard veto power over any food price OPAdministrator Leon Henderson might fix.

On both points Secretary Wickard backtracked last week. Conditions had changed in eight months, said he: day by day the hard facts of war were coming home to the U.S. Now Wickard urged the repeal of the 110% farm ceiling price--100% is enough. Moreover, he offered to approve an OPA ceiling on livestock prices provided farmers are protected against low prices. The hoped-for result would be to ease the squeeze between Henderson's ceiling on retail meats and Wickard's refusal to fix prices on the animals that packers buy.

Speech. Farmer Wickard had debated for two weeks with Secretary Wickard about the speech announcing his change of mind. Said he to fellow farmers:

"The farmers want action to win the battle against inflation. They favor controls clear across the board. But action is being held up behind a logjam of unwillingness of each of the great economic groups to accept controls unless at the same time controls are placed on others. Farmers are ready to break the log-jam."

Thus Administrator Wickard, much in the same tone as Leon Henderson (see col 3.), said in effect that meat prices must drop considerably below this week's level. This was a further clue that the Administration is leading up to a new anti-inflation program that will provide subsidies, lower farm price ceilings and some kind of wage adjustment. On one front peace had been made, but Wickard threw down the gauntlet for another feud with the farm bloc.

* A real dirt farmer, Wickard operates 380 acres near Camden, Ind., where he raises hogs, corn, wheat.

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