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EIGHT MEDF9RD (OREOOH) MAIL TRIBUNE V
Wednesday, December 7, 1953
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Benson Sees Possibility of 90 Per Cent Price Supports on Top Products
Editor's note: The United Press
submitted a series of questions to
Secretary of Agriculture Ezra T. Ben
son on the farm problem which has
become the center of a heated politi
cal debate. The following dispatch is
based on his replies.
By BERNARD BRENNER
United Press Correspondent
' Washington (U.R) Secre
tary of Agriculture Ezra T. Ben
son said today there is a pos
sibility the administration will
restore 90 per cent price sup
ports orr)"top quality products
only."
Benson emphasized, in reply
to a United Press questionnaire,
that he is not abandoning the
administration's flexible support
program which has been under
' heavy fire from Democrats.
But he said "we are explor
ing" a limited 90 per cent sup
porUplan "especially as it con
certo next year's wheat crop."
He does not regard this as a
"compromise" with high-support
advocates.
"I think that we must recog
nize and will recognize differ-'
entials for quality," he said.
"Therefore, I think that there
may be some possibilities for 90
per cent of parity supports on
these top-quality products only."
The general idea of restoring
90 per cent supports on top
grade basic farm crops already
has attracted backing from sev
eral leading farm belt senators,
including Chairman Allen J.
Ellender (D-La.) of the Senate
Agriculture committee.
Possible Compromise
Ellender described the pro
posal as a possible compromise
between Benson's flexible pro
gram and the rigid high price
guarantees in effect under prev
ious Democratic administrations.
Under the former program, or
iginally drafted to spur war
time production of scarce foods
and fibers, the government sup
ported six basic crops at 90 per
cent of the so-called "fair" par
ity price. Under present law,
supports may range from 75 to
90 per cent. "
The "basics" are wheat, corn,
cotton, peanuts, rice and tobac
co. Tobaco still is supported at
90 per ent under a special law.
An aide emphasized that Ben
son was not commenting direct
ly on Ellender's proposal. He
said the secretary merely was
dealing with the general idea of
a price support differential
based on quality.
In his replies to the question
naire, Benson stoutly defended
flexible supports as an overall
farm program.
"I do not believe we can get
anywhere by raising prices above
the levels where commodities
will sell," he said. ". . . We must
market what the public wants
and at what price levels that
will clear the market."
In a letter to farm organiza
tion leaders on Nov. 21, Ellender
asked for consideration of "the
feasibility of, say, rigid price
supports to encourage produc
tion of desirable and salable
basic commodities" and flexible
I supports on poorer grades.
Wheat, mentioned specifically
by Benson as a crop on which
the plan might be tried, was
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" " relp?
Wall Street
New York (U.R) Prices on
the Stock Exchange moved ir
regularly today in moderately
active dealings.
A handful of specialties, how
ever, managed to tack on good
gains. But in the main list
price movements were very
narrow.
Railroad shares as a group
were mostly lower with losses
running to a point or better.
Today's closing prices on se
lected stocks:
American T & T 179
Anaconda 70
Chrysler 92
Curtiss Wright 28
General Electric 54V6
General Motors 47
Montgomery Ward 96
Penn R R . 26
Penney" J C 1024
Radio 46
Southern Co 19
Southern Pacific 57
S Oil of Calif 91
Texas Gulf Sulphur 34
Transamerica 43
Tri-Continental 26
United Aircraft 69
U S Rubber 497s
U S Steel 59
Youngstown 100
selling at an average of 78 per
cent of parity on Nov. 15, the
date of the government's last of
ficial farm price survey. The
support level is 82.5 per cent of
parity.
On top grade, number one
heavy northern spring wheat,
has been selling at or above the
support level since last August,
however. Last year, when sup
ports were 90 per cent of parity,
this grade also sold on the open
market at near or above support
prices most of the season.
PORTLAND HAY, GRAIN
Portland Wholesale Hay Prices:
No. 2 green alfalfa, baled, f.o.b. trucks,
Portland and Seattle, 339-40 ton.
U. S. No. 1 Timothy hay. S48 ton,
f.o.b. Seattle; No. 1 Timothy mixed
hay, $41-42, Seattle.
Prices as reported by the USDA
market news service: Wheat, No. 2
soft white, S72.50 ton; No. 2 white
oats, 38-lb. test, coast delivery, S50;
No. 2 Western barley, S46.50 f.o.b.
Portland, coast delivery: soybean
meal S77.50 ton, delivered Portland:
standard mill run S42-42.50: No. 2 yel
low corn. Eastern shipments, f.o.b.
Portland, S63 ton.
Benson has set the average thority to raise support prices
support level for 1956 crop for higher grades while cutting
wheat at 76 per cent of parity, the support for lower grades,
SI. 81 a busheL Under current thus leaving the overall average
farm law, however, he has au- support level unchanged.
Four Rescued in Douglas County
Roseburg (U.R) Four per
sons were rescued from snow
bound mountain areas near here
in two separate incidents yester
day. Two Roseburg truck drivers
lost overnight while hauling
micro-relay equipment to the top
of 5000-foot King mountain
south of here were brought to
safety late yesterday afternoon.
They were Wally Mentzger and
Frank Guse.
Two Stayton, Ore., loggers
were hospitalized at Roseburg
yesterday suffering from frost
bitten feet and exposure after a
33-hour hike to safety from the
snow-clogged Diamond lake area
50 miles west of here.
The loggers, William Stinnet,
22, and Frank Benson, 25, were
marooned when their .truck slip
ped off a snowbank into a ditch
at 1 a.m. Sunday. They hiked
until they found a California
Oregon Power" company cabin,
Monday, where they were dis
covered by Pacific Telephone
and Telegraph company crews
some four miles from the micro
wave site at the mountain's sum
mit. Mentzger and Guse said they
spent Monday night in a shelter
after their truck became lock
ed in a snowbank.
Market prices of wheat, cotton
and other crops have been de
pressed by surpluses in govern
ment warehouses.
"I would like to add," Benson
said, ' "that I think we need
broader authority in this general
field of moving our surpluses."
Exhibit Under Way
McMinnville (U.R) The 1 14th
annual Pacific Coast Turkey ex
hibit opened here today with a
record number of entries in live
and dressed divisions ready for
judging. ;
Judges for the Northwest's
biggest turkey show were M. M.
Reiman of Planada, Calif., and
Prof., E. Y. Smith of Cornell
University, New York.
Field curing is a poor way to
preserve alfalfa for dairy cattle
feed, compared with silage, ac
cording to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture.
PORTLAND LIVESTOCK
Portland (U.P.) Cattle 300. hold
over 250. Cutter steers and heifers
$10-12; medium stock heifers $11;
canner-cutter cows mostly $6-7.50;
shells down to 5: utility cows S8.50
10:50: cutter-utility bulls S10-12.
Calves 100. Good-low choice vealers
S18-20; some $22; medium-good stock
calves $14-16, culls down to S7.
Hogs 200. holdover 185. U.S. 1 and
2 butchers 180-235 lb. $12.50-13; No.
3 lots $12: sows $9-10.50..
Sheep 500. Choce wooled Iambs
$17.50; good-choice grade $16-17;
choice-prime No. 1 pelt lambs $18;
good-choice feeder lambs $14-16;
ewes S2-5.
PORTLAND PRODUCE
Portland (U.P.I Eggs To retail
ers: Grade AA large, 62-63c: A large,
59-60c; AA medium, ' 57-69c; A me
dium.. 57-58c; small, 48-39c; carton,
l-3c additional.
Butter To retailers: AA grade
prints, 66c lb.; cartons. 67c: A prints,
66c; carton. 67c; B prints, 64c.
Cheese To retailers: A grade Ched
dar. Oregon singles. 40 ','2 -45 lie; 5-lb.
loaves, 46l2-491,2C Processed Ameri
can cheese. 5-lb. loaf 392-41c lb.
Farm Market
Portland (U.P.) California ' cab
bage sold mostly at $6-6.25 a crate
today; bunched turnips cost retailers
4:50-4.75 for 2 ','2 dozen lots at some
houses: top California tomatoes sold
at S4.25-4.75 for best two-layer lugs.
Poultry, Rabbits
Dressed Chickens No. 1 dressed to
retailers: Fryers, New York style, 34
35c lb.:' whole drawn, 41-44c: cut up.
46-49c; hens, light type, lfew York
style, 2H-3lc; cut-ups, 4i-44c; nens,
heavy type, N.. style, 33-34c; whole
drawn, 43-46c lb.
Turkeys To producers for A grade
young hens, f.o.b. farm, N.. dressed,
nominally 36c lb.; A grade toms, 29c;
A grade hens, eviscerated, 41 Vc; evis
cerated toms, 31I2C lb.; fryer turkeys,
live weights, 6 ',2 -10 lbs., 34c lb.
Dressed Turkeys To retailers: A
grade young hens, 53-55c lb. eviscer
ated A grade young toms, 45-52c lb.
eviscerated, depending on weight;
eviscerated fryer-roasters. 57c lb.
Rabbits (Average to growers f.o.b.
killing plants) Live white. 3-4V2
lbs., 23-26c; 5-6 lbs., 18-21c: colored
pelts, 4c under; old does, 10-14c lb.; a
few higher. Fresh killed fryers to re
tailers, 58-61c; cut up, 62-65c.
Dead line Sunday Classified Is at
noon Saturday: 10 a.m. Monday for
Monday: other days 5:30 previous day.
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117 S. Central
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Phone 2-6241
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