Mr Benson Sees Failure Of U.S. Farm Controls

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28268, 4 May 1957, Page 11

Mr Benson Sees Failure Of U.S. Farm Controls

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) WASHINGTON, May 2. The Secretary of Agriculture, Mr Ezra Benson, said today that it had become virtually impossible to control farm production in the United States. He said that crop control and price support programmes had been outdated by a “technological explosion” on the farm, and explained:

“Production per farm worker has doubled in the last 15 years. This creates a new dimension in farm policy and makes it virtually impossible to curtail agricultural output with the type of controls acceptable in our society.”

Mr Benson made these remarks in a letter to Senator Allen Ellender (Democrat, Louisiana), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, who had asked the Secretary to consider problems arising under existing price support legislation. Mr Benson said that major provisions of present farm laws had failed. He had criticism for crop control measures enacted under Democratic Administration in the late 1930’5, and since amended, and also for the flexible price support system Congress accepted in 1954 at the urging of President Eisenhower and himself.

The Secretary cautioned, too, against continuation of the soil bank reserve plan beyond its expiration date in 1959. Both Republicans and Democrats have taken credit for the soil bank concept. It-is designed to reduce the huge surpluses of farm commodities held by the Government by compensating farmers for taking land out of production. In this connexion, Mr Benson said: “There are two things which the American people are not likely to tolerate. “They are the rebuilding of surpluses in response to high war-time incentives after stocks have been pulled down by surplus disposal and the soil bank; and a permanent soil bank and a permanent disposal programme of the dimensions made necessary by price incentives and ineffective controls.” While finding fault with past and present farm programmes, Mr Benson did not lay down any formula for the future. He said that a worthy goal would be the highest possible farm income, and this could be achieved only through a combination of large marketings and competitive prices.