On only two of these points--both of them vital however--did I call
for Congressional action. These two vital points were: First,
taxation; and, second, the stabilization of all farm prices at
parity.
"Parity" is a standard for the maintenance of good farm prices. It
was established as our national policy way back in 1933. It means
that the farmer and the city worker are on the same relative ratio
with each other in purchasing power as they were during a period
some thirty years before--at a time then the farmer had a
satisfactory purchasing power. One hundred percent of parity,
therefore, has been accepted by farmers as the fair standard for
the prices they receive.
Last January, however, the Congress passed a law forbidding
ceilings on farm prices below 110 percent of parity on some
commodities. And on other commodities the ceiling was even higher,
so that the average possible ceiling is now about 116 percent of
parity for agricultural products as a whole.
This act of favoritism for one particular group in the community
increased the cost of food to everybody--not only to the workers in
the city or in the munitions plants, and their families, but also
to the families of the farmers themselves.
Since last May, ceilings have been set on nearly all commodities,
rents services, except the exempted farm products.
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