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Peach Ridge Fruit Growers Association, Sparta, MI, August 6, 1973
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4526508
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Peach Ridge Fruit Growers Association, Sparta, MI, August 6, 1973
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Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
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Economic stabilization
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The original documents are located in Box D35, folder "Peach Ridge Fruit Growers Association, Sparta, MI, August 6, 1973" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. NOTES SPARTA, MICH AUG. 6, 1973 U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OFFICE OF THE MINORITY LEADER Herald R. Ford WASHINGTON, D.C. 20515 M.C. OFFICIAL BUSINESS PEACH RIDGE FRUIT GLEATE FORD LIBRARK GROWERS ASSOCIATION Digitized from Box D35 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library Jerry: Attached is background information for your talk to the Peach Ridge Fruit Growers Association August 6 at Sparta. They want youte to talk about Phase IV and --Paul Todl Retumn Circuit Igno order Dana BRARK gypt Trial THE WASHINGTON POST Friday, July 13, 1973 C9 U.S. Pesticide Safety Rules Blocked by Federal Judge NEW ORLEANS, La., July from 14 states filed in eight opposition, makes the guide- 12 (AP)-A set of government other circuit courts. The lines null and void and trans- restrictions on the use of agri- court's one-sentence ruling fers authority over any such cultural pesticides, scheduled went unnoticed until today. guidelines from the Labor De- to go into effect Friday, has The occupational safety ad- partment to the Agriculture ministration originally issued Department. been blocked by a federal a set of standards for the use The guidelines apply to court here. of pesticides May 1. John growers of apples, oranges, MARCELLO CAETANO The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court Stender, assistant secretary of grapefruit, lemons, grapes, of Appeals said in an order is- labor, said. that 800 persons peaches and tobacco. They are visit stirs protest sued Tuesday that the Occupa- were killed and 80,000 in- designed to protect those en- tional Safety and Health Ad- jured each year by insecti- gaged in such activities as en bomb, an "utterly igno- ministration cannot implement cides. picking or pruning, but do not its June 21 guidelines for using Representatives of farm involve workers merely pass- ant person" who "groveled 12 organic phosphorous pesti- groups protested the stan- ing through a field, mowing, efore the capitalist order cides "pending further order dards, and the administration repairing equipment or the to smear his own coun- revised its statement on June like. of this court." 15, saying that "careful review Farmers are required to fur- y." Sakharov had said in Included in the guidelines suggested some modifications nish employees with approved interview with Swedish are stipulations that workers and clarifications seem to be respirators while they are levision that Soviet social- cannot enter fields or or- necessary.". working in treated fields in was nothing more than chards for periods ranging The guidelines set to be- They are also required to pro- npty words and propa- from 1 to 14 days after spray- come effective Friday were is- vide "whole body clothing of nda. ing them. sued June 21. About half the either a closely woven washa- The guidelines also include proscribed insecticides were ble fabric or disposable mate- gypt Spy Trial provisions for clothing to be deleted and the periods of rial, hat, gloves, impermeable BEIRUT - An Egyptian worn by field workers, how waiting before entering shoes or shoe coverings J. for litary court has sentenced the clothing was to be washed treated fields were shortened. protection from pesticides." army colonel and a wom- and how workers would be Those revisions were then crit- Under the guidelines, the student to death on warned about the treated icized by a farm laborers' farmer would be responsible arges of spying for Israel, areas. group, which said they took for seeing that the clothing is magazine Al Hawadess properly washed or disposed d. It was the first time Consumers have long been the strength out of the protec- of as each employee finishes Egyptian officer was ac- protected from crops with ex- tive program. using it for the day. led of spying for Israel, cessive pesticide residues, but The suit, first filed against magazine said. the May 1 guidelines, was later the guidelines are the first at- directed at the June 21 guide- 6 Die in Train Crash he case cost Egypt $80 tempts to protect farm work- lines. llion to change locations Reuter military installations, in- ers from such residues. Meanwhile, the guidelines STOCKHOLM, July 12-A mation about which had The court's order came on a troversy surrounding the farm crowded high-speed commuter in passed on to Israel, the petition by the Florida Peach troversy surrounding tht farm train jumped its tracks and bill stalled in the House. A ort said. smashed into an embankment Growers Association Inc., but provision in the farm bill, near here today killing at staff reports and news dispatches included 24 other petitions which brought on strong labor least six people. this/fandis yaur land! Ceausescu U.S. Eases Pesticide Safeguards Visits Bonn Under Pressure From Farmers, Hill For Talks Associated Press In announcing the original grower associations filed law Washington Post Foreign Service Pressured by Congress and rules last May, Stender cited suits seeking to revoke the farmers, the Labor Depart- 800 deaths and 80,000 illnesses rules. BONN, June 26-Romanian ment issued revised pesticide annually from pesticide poi- The new regulations are President Nicolae Ceausescu soning. temporary. Oral arguments or arrived here today for a five- regulations yesterday narrow- But the regulations met proposed permanent regula day state visit, the first chief ing the scope of required safe- heavy opposition from farm tions will be heard in July and of state from a Warsaw Pact guards for farm workers. state congressmen. Several August. country to visit West Ger- Assistant Secretary of Labor many. John H. Stender said the origi- Ceausescu's schedule today nal rules were broader than was filled almost exclusively necessary to protect employ- with such ceremonial flour- ees from grave danger. ishes as. the signing of the Golden Book at Bonn city hall Stender, who heads the de- TELEPHONE For fast, fast, fast classified and lunching with federal partment's Occupational Safety and Health Administra- action President Gustav Heinemann. The Romanian leader will tion, acknowledged that the begin the first of his political changes were "in response to petitions by the Florida Peach 223-6200 talks with Chancellor Willy Growers Association and other Brandt Wednesday. organizations as well as addi all223-6200 at The Wash- The two leaders are ex- tional information from pesti- pected to give special atten- ington Post. We have more cide experts." tion to the European security than 100 phones so it's al- conference which begins in "They've taken the guts out ways easy to reach US. And Helsinki July 3. Romania sees of it," said Miriam Guide, an The Post has 130 advisors the eonference as a potential attorney for the Migrant Le- trained to help write and vehicle for loosening some of gal Action Program who rep- place your classified ad. And resented several farm workers the Soviet hegemony over remember, your classified ad Eastern Europe, and Ceau- in petitioning the government in The Post will reach more sescu undoubtedly will stress for the emergency standards than a million people week- the importance to his regime issued May 1. days. Even more on Sunday. of the West pursuing this goal The initial regulations gov- Whatever you're selling, you'll in the conference. erned the use of 21 organo- sell it faster in The Post. Give Similarly, the Romanian phosphorous pesticides used US a call anytime. leader is expected to give pri- in treating seven crops-ap- ority attention to the NATO- ples, peaches, tobacco, grapes, THE Warsaw Pact negotiations on lemons, oranges and grape- WASHINGTON military force reductions, now fruit. They restricted the time anticipated for October. when employees could re-en- POST In these talks Romania has ter a field after it had been Classified Ads been relegated against its will sprayed. Post to observer status, and Ceau- The revised regulations, Classified sescu will probably plead that Ads Hundreds of thousands scheduled to become law July the West should reexamine 13, govern only 12 of the 21 more readers than the the situation and seek to open chemicals originally included other newspaper. the force reduction talks to and reduce re-entry times by broader participation. at least two days. 6/27/73 Wash.Post Post From the office of: Resticides Earl F. Landgrebe 1203 Longworth Building House of Representatives Washington, D. C. 20515 For more information, call: Harold A. Welter 202-225-5777 For release: IMMEDIATELY OSHA ORDER "TRAGIC" FOR CONSUMER: EARL (Washington, D. C.) Second District Congressman Earl F. Landgrebe has been joined by more than 70 House members in urging President Mixon to intervene toward revocation or suspension of a new "emergency" regulation of the Department of Labor restricting the entry of farm workers to orchards and fields treated with certain pesticides. The regulation, scheduled to go into effect July 13, is a modification of one which Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) previously had issued and then withdrew in the face of Congressional objections and court actions by grower groups. In their letter to the President, the House members emphasized that their complaint was against the "emergency" characterization of the new order. They insisted that the Department of Labor had produced no credible scientific evidence of a major hazard from re-entry of treated areas, and, in fact, had substantially ignored the recommendations of its own technical advisory groups. "fy objection is not to the promulgation of realistic standards protecting the agricultural worker," Landgrebe noted, "but to the issuance of an emergency order when no emergency exists." "To impose this type of unnecessary regulation on the farmer at the time of a virtual crisis in food prices is not only ridiculous, but tragic for the consumer, as it must result in even higher prices and an increase in the absence of products on the shelf," Landgrebe concluded. The legislators asked that the "emergency" proceeding be abandoned, and that reasonable permanent standards be developed after public hearings. -30- GERALD LIBRARY 7473 ECONOMIC STABILIZATION PROGRAM Phase LIVING COUNCIL COST OF news Office of Public Affairs Room 2104 Washington, D.C. 20508 Phone: 202-254-8830 FOR RELEASE AT 12:30 P.M. PDT San Francisco, California July 23, 1973 REMARKS BY JAMES W. McLANE DEPUTY DIRECTOR, COST OF LIVING COUNCIL DIRECTOR, SPECIAL FREEZE GROUP BEFORE THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA JULY 23, 1973 I am very pleased to have the opportunity to meet with you here today. Not only is it an honor to talk with such a distinguished gathering, but the support and active assistance of people like yourselves are basic to the success of our anti-inflationary efforts. What I'd like to do today is to put Phase IV into perspective -- to give you an idea of how we at the Cost of Living Council view this last of the Economic Stabilization Program's phases -- and, when I say last, I mean last. Phase V will be phase-out and return to a free competitive market. We have already gone through many phases, trying your patience with each change. So you ask, why are we having a Phase IV instead of an immediate return to the free market. Public opinion polls show that a majority of Americans, including a majority of businessmen, favor wage and price controls even though they cause distortions in the economy and shortages of various products. This opinion has been re- flected in the Congress where the Democratic Caucus in the Senate voted unanimously in early June to impose a 90-day freeze across the board. A majority has not objected to the freeze. Hence. a return to economic freedom now would most likely turn into a detour back into the swamp of even more lasting and onerous controls. It is this swamp the President is determined to avoid. OBJECTIVES OF PHASE IV Quite simply, Phase IV is designed to moderate the rate of inflation which has existed in this country during the first six months of 1973, while minimizing adverse effects on supply. We are trying to limit the LIBRAR -2- speed and the size of the pass-through of cost increases now in the system, and potentially in the system, while not inhibiting capacity expansion and supply increases so necessary to reduce long-run inflationary forces. THE ECONOMIC SETTING The principal cause of inflation this year has been the rapid increase in costs in two areas: basic materials, such as oil, copper, zinc and steel scrap; and feed grains for livestock. Industrial wholesale prices have increased at a 12.5% annual rate dur- ing the first half of the year, the highest rate since the Korean War experience. Most of these increases have come at the basic stages of the production process meaning that further price pressures can be expected at consumer levels. During the year ending in June, 1973: -- wholesale prices of crude materials for further pricing were up 17.7% -- wholesale prices of intermediate materials and supplies were up 8.3% -- wholesale prices of consumer finished goods, excluding foods were up 7%, while -- consumer prices of commodities less food have only risen 3.6%. On the food side, strong international demand, combined with a world- wide shortage of animal feed grains, has resulted in particularly sharp price increases. The price of feed grains constitutes the basic costs of meat production. High feed prices have reduced incentive to ex- pand production of beef and pork, poultry and eggs. Output of a number of major food commodities was down sharply in the first six months of 1973, and we forecast production for the last half of 1973 in meat, broilers, eggs and milk to be below the comparable period in 1972. The results of this strong demand and restricted supply have caused dramatic price movements. Prices for farm products in June averaged 35% above a year earlier -- accounting for 67% of the total increase in the WPI for this period. -- Grains are up 89%; -- Crop prices are up 47%; -- Livestock prices are up 32%. With record increases in employment and consumer incomes. consumer food prices have followed farm product increases -- up 13.7% from a year ago and 11% over the last six months -3- THE 60-DAY FREEZE It was these numbers that created a public and Congressional outcry for tougher controls. The 60-day freeze announced on June 13 has dramatically arrested these price increases and has provided shock therapy to the inflationary psychology which was again sweeping the country. It basalso caused some severe problems. Confectioners, processed grain millers, poultry and egg producers, margarine and vegetable oil processors, potato chip manufacturers, just to cite a sample, faced costs greater than their allowable freeze price. In some cases, low market prices prevailing during the base period, and in other cases freeze prices based on last year's crop caused fresh fruit and vegetable farmers to incur losses and to dramatically alter their normal marketing practices. In pork and poultry, producers have been slaughtering their breeder stocks at alarming rates. About 20% of sows being slaughtered have been pregnant. The normal rate is 5% to 10%. Each piggy sow slaughtered removes some 1,000 lbs. of pork from the market in the future -- that's a lot of ham and bacon. The same situation has been occurring in chickens. Heavy hen slaughter, for example -- a good barometer of future broiler and egg production -- was 52% above last year for the week ending July 7. In the non-agricultural sector, the freeze has created problems princi- pally for the textile/apparel industry and for the metals industries. In textile/apparel, fall clothing is normally produced and shipped dur- ing June, July and August and reflects input costs of January through May. Substantial increases in wool, cotton, and synthetic fiber prices cannot be passed on. Many of these companies would go out of business. The broad exception granted this industry on Friday should help. In the metals, there are incentives for more exports since world prices continue to rise above domestic freeze prices. Abnormal increases in inventory accumulations are being noted, reflecting some reluctance to deliver during the freeze. The Zuni Indians, for example, are unable to obtain silver for their bracelets and necklaces. Since the freeze started, we also have had 118 verified plant or com- pany slowdowns and closures, just about half of which have been pork packing and processing plants. I don't think I need to recount the sizable losses many firms, particularly the small firms with little flexibility, have had to absorb during the freeze. In short. the freeze has caused some damage to the economy while halting spiraling price increases temporarily. THE DESIGN OF PHASE IV So here is where we find ourselves August in July, 1973: strong demand. tight supplies -- especially in food -- high rates of inflation throughout the world and strong public opinion in the United States favoring tight controls, even if it means some shortages. It is in this context - United we should assess Phase IV. -4- Phase IV is a nine-point program: A balancing of price restraint and the need for supply. A spreading of price increases. management of the antici- pated post-freeze bubble. A sector by sector approach to controls. Tough mandatory controls. A flexible exceptions policy. Continuing consultations. Consistent treatment of wages. A built-in mechanism to end controls. A balanced Federal budget for FY '74. Balance price restraint and need for supply Phase IV allows for the immediate thawing of the freeze in the agri- cultural area where problems caused by the freeze have been the most severe. Raw agricultural cost increases, except for beef increases, now can be passed through to the consumer on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Not allowing price increases in this sector immediately would have cre- ated further dislocations and shortages causing even higher prices in the future. We are saying "sound economic policy means moderate price increases now rather than shortages on the shelves later." The same can be said for the petroleum sector where the proposed pro- gram involves both adjustable price ceilings and incentives for pro- duction. Adjustable ceilings will be placed on domestic crude oil and on retail gasoline, heating oil and diesel fuel prices. New crude oil production has been exempted from these ceilings. Spread price increases Having recognized the costs and potential costs already built into the economy, Phase IV attempts to manage the price bulge without unduly penalizing the producer on the one hand or the consumer on the other. Phase IV phases controls in at different stages: -- dollar-for-dollar pass-through of raw agricultural cost increases since June 8, except beef, allowed now; -- health sector of the economy placed under mandatory Phase IV rules now; -5- -- all other sectors of the economy remain under the freeze until August 12 at which time pass-through of cost increases is permitted; and -- on September 12, beef ceilings are terminated. and the food sector is allowed to pass through not only agricultural cost increases, but all cost increases Prenotification is required after August 12, 30 days in advance of any product or service price increase for firms with sales of $100 million or more. This requirement will further delay the implementation of price increases. Sector by sector approach Phase IV is a selective approach to controls. It treats problems in different sectors of the economy separately and is designed to be con- sistent with the unique characteristics and structural problems of each sector. Sectors given special approaches include: food, health, petroleum, construction, insurance, industrial and retail/wholesale. Secondly, Phase IV exempts from controls sectors which are no longer inflationary, where controls are no longer needed or useful, or where an industry is controlled by other regulatory agencies. The sectors immediately exempted include utilities, which are controlled by state and federal regulatory agencies; the lumber and plywood industry, which is experiencing and is expected to continue to experience declining prices, and long-term coal contracts where exemption should encourage long-run supply-enhancing investment. Structuring the program in a manner which permits partial decontrol enables a greater concentration of energy on problem solving in sectors in which structural or other reforms are essential to improved price performance. Tough mandatory controls Phase IV is a tough system of mandatory controls. Prenotification by the larger firms is required and quarterly reporting of all firms over $50 million is required, as is a one-time annual report from all small firms with over 60 employees. Phase IV requires considerable cost ab- sorption. The base period for prices and cost justification has been changed to the fiscal quarter ending prior to January 11, 1973. All costs incurred earlier and not already reflected in price increases may not be used to justify higher prices. The base price from which price justification can be measured is average actual prices for the fiscal quarter which ended before January 11. Only dollar-for-dollar pass- through of costs is allowed. No additional profit margin is allowed on additional costs. The profit margin restraint, as established in Phase III, remains in effect. The staff of the Economic Stabilization Program is being increased substantially to insure compliance with these rules. -6- Flexible exceptions policy A restrictive price control system must have a realistic exceptions policy. It is envisioned that Phase IV will have a flexible excep- tions policy to accommodate the special problems of various sectors of the economy under the strains of full capacity. Production can and should continue to expand under these rules. A senior committee of top Tevel government officials will be established within the Cost of Living Council to continually assess the exceptions and exemptions policy. Continuing consultations Phase IV continues the consultation process. The Cost of Living Coun- cil held many consultations with consumers, businessmen. labor, farmers, Congressional leaders and government officials throughout the country in developing Phase IV. Suggestions ranged from complete elimination of controls to the establishment of a permanent system of ceiling prices, rationing, and a 250,000 man enforcement agency. Phase IV reflects many of the views, particularly a general favoring of a return to a Phase II type of controls, where the terms and procedures are familiar. We recognize that we do not know all the answers and, therefore, issued the Phase IV regulations for comment. We want your views on how we can improve these regulations. If you can help us make them more sensible, we welcome your comments so that we might achieve our mutual goal of reducing the rate of inflation as soon as possible and as practically as possible. All comments should be forwarded to the Executive Secretary of the Cost of Living Council by July 31. Consistent treatment of wages comment has expired. Phase IV has a wage policy consistent with its price controls. The general wage and benefit standards of Phase II and Phase III will be retained. More detailed information for reporting wage and benefit increases will be required. Notification of wage and benefit increases by the largest bargaining units will be required. Prenotification will be required in individual cases. Detailed review of wages in the con- struction, food and health industries continue. A new unit has been established to review wage, salary and benefit increases in the state and local government sector. Mechanism for ending controls Phase IV envisions the creation of a mechanism within the Cost of Liv- ing Council for removing controls from firms or from industries when current and projected price performance will justify it. Price and wage controls are not to become a permanent feature of the American economy. we are saying have patience. While controls are necessary now. we will terminate them as soon as we can do so without incurring unacceptable inflation rates, We must preserve incentives for investment and produc- tion. We will have to work together to create conditions in which con- trols can be terminated without disrupting the economy. -7- A balanced Federal budget for FY 1974 Phase IV of the Economic Stabilization Program continues its reliance on that old-time religion -- the fundamentals -- a restrictive balanced Federal budget. The President established the goal of a $250 billion budget in FY '73 and then disciplined the Federal Government to meet this goal. As some of you have noted by now, the budget for FY '73 will actually come in at less than $249 billion. A target was set and was achieved. For FY ' 74 the President has established a $268 billion target for the Federal budget. Two hundred and sixty-eight billion dollars is cer . tainly a lot of money, but it is a balanced budget. The President intends to achieve this target, vetoing budget-busting bills as neces- sary -- several billion dollars will have to be cut from expenditures already probable due to higher interest rates, new legislation, and Congressional bills already far advanced but not yet completed. Some are criticizing the Administration for not increasing taxes in conjunction with Phase IV. The idea of tax increases was rejected. By spending less and not taxing more, the budget can be balanced. Tax increases take a long time to become effective. Also, tax increases tend to precipitate Parkinson's fiscal law: spending increases to meet the amount of money the Government takes from you in taxes -- meaning bigger and bigger Government. It is clear that the President is opposed to bigger Government. In fact, another commitment made as part of the Phase IV announcement is to reduce the number of Federal civilian personnel at the end of FY '74 to a level below the number now budgeted. CONCLUSION The American economy is complex. So are the Phase IV rules. But we want them to be the best rules possible to restrain inflation without impeding production. This is where we need your help. We have issued the proposed regulations for comment. We want your recommendations on the specifics. Wherever possible, within the basic policy decisions that have been made, the regulations will be improved to make Phase IV as practicable as it can be made. We want business to continue to prosper, industrial peace to be maintained, and production to continue to expand under these rules. We also need your help in explaining the "economic facts of life" to all Americans. You can no longer sit on the sidelines and just expect the American consumer to understand higher prices. There is no need for me to expiate on the benefits of a free market economy to this group. But, it is this group that needs to think in terms of the pub- lic at large, or we may never get our message out. -8- From scientifically sampled polls to the chance comment overheard on the street, the indications are that a great many Americans hold some fundamental misconceptions about economic life. Any increase in prices, however moderate, is, for example, coming to be viewed as downright bad. Profit is viewed a four-letter word. Freezes solve all our problems. Many people simply do not understand the relation- ship between economic growth and prices I'm sure that if we put our heads together we. could come up with a fantastic string of basic misinformation. This lack of public understanding probably springs from the fact that we've generally had a problem-free economy which has treated us well. Most people just have not needed, or wanted, a wider comprehension of economic events. Business has an opportunity for significant contributions. Increasing public understanding of economic growth is a difficult task. Businessmen, labor leaders and government officials who undertake it will face some charges of being self-serving. But it will be a worth- while endeavor. The Government cannot do it alone. Increased supply is what will bring prices down. Fortunately, bumper food crops are on the horizon for this fall -- the corn harvest is expected to be up 6% from a year ago; wheat up 13%; soybeans up 24% -- enough to meet the needs of the United States and foreign countries as well. All acres are to be brought back into production next year. There will be no set-aside acres. We are committed to making Phase IV work to moderate the rate of inflation. We are also committed to increasing production and avail- able supplies so we can have moderate price growth without controls. We have difficult problems to grapple with in the coming months, With your support we are confident we can overcome the problems, achieve our goals and reach Phase V. o0o CLC-336