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NEWS CONFBRBNCB
GOVERNOR FARRIS BRYANT
JUEY 19. 1962
HERSHEN PARTICIPATING: Charles Ald er, UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL:
Robert W. Delane ORLANDO SERTIREL; ,on Dughi, HCTV; David Oretsch,
CAPITOL NEWS 03 Chuck Goats, FLORIDA BROADCAST NEWS; George
Jennings, CAPITOL HERB BUREAU; Jerry Mock, FLORIDA TIMES DRIOR; Steve
Prentice, FLORIDA BROADCAST NEWS; Ray Starr "RFD: Stan Tarilton,
PIDRIDA ssomcm sous; Rick Tattle, tam seams-8r. masseuse
TIMES SERVICE; Dill Watkins, ROW; Paul wills, ASSOCIAED PRBBS
GOVERNOR: Good afternoon.
WILLS: Who is that friend over there? (Referring to Evans) I haven't
seen him.
GOVERNOR: This is the new Barnum and Bailey representative. (laughter)
TDTTLE: Mr. xynes has been spreading rumors all morning that your
Cold War Conference was a great success.
GOVERNOR: It was hot.
TUTTLE: Was it hot?
GOVERNOR: Very. We were tremendously pleased with the Cold Her
Conference. First or all, the attendance was excellent in number.
Twenty dollars a person is somewhat of a hurdle. The Quality of those
in attendance -- from Pensacola to Key west, literally. There must
have been oh, there were an from West Palm Beach, and there must
have been 20 from Pensacola, for instance -o
EVANS: Thirty-rive from Pensacola in private planes.
GOVERNOR: Thirty-five from Pensacola. And that's the kind or response
that it brought from all over the State. And then the quality or the
speakers is what surprised and pleased no so much, because, of course,
very few of these people had we known or heard personally, although
we knew them by reputation. Beginning with Serafino Romualdi in the
morning, the ARLoCIO Latin American Labor Representative, right
through Admural Stump the last thing in the evening, each one of then
was unique and quite interesting. The thing that I liked about it
most, I suppose or all, aside from the positive factors that I
mentioned, was that there was not a sour note all day long. And I
think when you can hold this kind of conference on that level it is a
source of gratification.
TUTTLE: Governor, was it determined how effective it is going to be
this mess education in relation to the Americanism-Communisn course?
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homogeniced and treated in certain very expensive ways. A fellow with
25. 50 or 100 cows can't afford to do that. he has got to go through
a distributor, but there are not but the distributors. Now maybe one
of them has all the producers he need: economically. He has Bot 811
he can sell the milk for. And there is a fellow that is providing
milk under old regulations, that is old contracts to another
distributor -- the other one. And the other distributor under a free
market says to this fellow, "Well, I am Just sorry your milk doesnt
look to me on though it were worth more than 25 cents any more. I
Just don't need your milk at a higher price." Yen have destroyed
this man's business. Why? Because he must run it -- we require him
to run it through this distributor -- he can't go peddle it to his
neighbors any more -- we restrict hie free market on the one hand
and on the other hand we don't give him other oupport to take
advantage. How in a free market hie could say, "All right if you
won't give me but 25 cents, I'll go to the grocery stores and sell
them.my milk. It will be raw, but they like raw milk. Or if they
don't, I'll make change or something." But that isn't poesible. In
other words we have got because of health regulatione a restricted
operation in which a free market, regardleee or price control, ien't
pceeible. And that mekeu it bad. well you say let's put the
producer under price control. Pine. But when you protect him, the
next fellow in the chain says, "Well, that's great, you tell me what
I have got to pay, but you don't protect me on whet I can tell it
for, on what I have got to get. And I am in an uneconomic situation
because of your regulation." And he is. 80 you protect him and there
you go. Well, of course, the classic ancwer in the one of the free
market man that 1 like to approach is "free um." Well, then the
actual question riaea, Yea, but do you went to get rid of theta
regulationa? Do you wont to let them tell unpasteurized raw milk?"
"No, I dont want to do that." Then he has got to go through the
distributor. Then you don't have a free market. It ie no easy
problem to eolve and that is why from 193oecdd on down to date. so far
as I knee, no milk commission has ever solved it adequately or
satisfactorily.
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HILLS: Well, you wouldn't anticipate that a free market that you
would abandon your health standards would you?
OOVBRHOR: No, I wouldn't.
HILLS: I mean it is not the same thing.
OOVBRHOR: It is in a way. It's not Just 1 tell you that you must use
91" soap on your product. Our health regulations, and so forth,
require an extremely expensive process which a 25-cow producer cannot
himself afford to do. Therefore, he has got to go through a distri-
butor.
HILLS: But isn't that Just a contract between that smell dairyman
and his distributor --
GOVERNOR: who has a monopoly.
HILLS: well, you mean the distributor has the monopoly?
GOVERNOR: Yes. How many distributors are there in this area for
instance?
WILLS: I don't know.
GOVERNOR: Two or three, I suppose, at the most. Two? 0r three?
DUNN: Three. And one or them is a producer-distributor.
GOVERNOR: All right. It is perfectly easy for me to see where one
or these producers here could be out off by his distributor. The
distributor says, I don't need you any more." And he would go to
another distributor and he would say, Well, I don't need you either,
but I will give you ten cents. Now, here is where the problem
comes. Normally in a free market this man would say, "Well, I don't
sent to sell it for ten cents. I will go out on the market and sell
it to my customers direct." But the state steps in and says that he
can't do that. You have got to run it through this process which is
beyond your economic means. And, therefore, you either sell it to
one or these producers at their price or you sell it at our price or
you go out or business.
TUTTIE: There is nothing to prevent, though, the smell producers
from banning together in cooperatives?
GOVERNOR: No. There again, though, you raise a problem because when
they get together in a co-op you don't have the producer price control.
Now the system that last Commission left us with -- you have got price
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controls on producers who sell to distributors, but not on producers
who sell in effect to a cooperative. And, thererore, the cooperative
can go into a chain store, let's say, or some other economic unit and
well without being concerned with the minimum as established for the
producers who go through a distributor. The point or the thing is
that whenever you start controlling prices there is no place to stop.
And the difficulty is that if you don't control prices and still
require a man to go through a monopolistic situation you destroy him.
TOITIE: Doesn't this same principle apply to the liquor industry -
the possibility of setting allowable discounts?
DUNN: Whiskey doesnt spoil.
GOVERNOR: I don't think the two are parallel one way or the other.
It seems to me that they are not --
TOTTLE: It is a matter of tempering with pricea?
GOVERNOR: Oh, yes.
TUTTLB: when you give them a monopoly -- the problems of the little
man, I think there is some parallel there.
GOVERNOR: Well, I am sure that there is some parallel. They don't
occur to me at the moment, but I am sure that there are.
VILLS: Well. can we assume then that you are not netisfied with the
current set-up with this milk pricing?
GOVERNOR: That's right.
WILLS: Do you have any definite plans -- anything that you would like
the Commission to do?
GOVERNOR: No. I hope you have obseerd that the people we havc been
putting on this Commission have been the very highest type. And the
thing that I have been trying to do in to put on the Commission
intelligent, uncontrolled and sometimes, so far as the milk business
is concerned, unknowledgeablc individuals. The only instructione that
I have given them is to go on there and.apply their beat mind, free
from all preosurea, to a solution of this problem and I nill back any
solution that they arrive at. I simply don't have the time or the
knowledge to go in there and make the decisions myself and, therefore,
I am trying to get people on there who are honest and able and fair
mindad to do it. I have expressed to them my general preference for e
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free market. As a matter of fact, it was out of such an expression
that I learned about this problem that occurs so far as this producer-
distributor relationship is concerned. When I expressed my hope that
we could achieve such a market that the response from one or these
man whom I have so much confidence told me.
Are there other questions on other subsects?
arena: Governor, 1 would like to ask one thing: As Chief Executive
of Florida do you show any concern over yesterday's incident of the
plane from Cuba landing in hiami unchallenged and undetected?
GOVERNOR: I really don't know about it.
STARR: well, a Cuban plane o- crop duster which was finally identified
after it landed in Miami -- came in under the radar nets yesterday.
Air Defense Identification in Colorado Springs said they did not
scramble any aircraft because it was strictly one plane coming in
unidentified. If that plane had carried.scme fanatics with any sort
of bomb or anything else that would have been harmful to the citizens
of Florida, this would have been a very bad thing for not only our
state but our nation. And seeing the lead the state is taking in
this Cold War Conference and with Cuba practically at our doorstep,
something should be done about these kinds of flights in the future.
EVANS: Governor, there was a great deal of discussion about this
some thing in Miami which makes it sound quite a bit differently than
Ray has heard it. Insofar as knowledge of this plane coming and
observation of it on the way over, although not by Air Defense
Command people, apparently there was some knowledge of this plane and
its existence. It was not, as first thought, a situation of them Just
sweeping in on us without any forewarninc whatsoever. This is
something the people have been very concerned about.
GOVERNOR: let me do say this, too, I dont know about this situation,
but of course in setting up a defense there have to be certain
minimums. Obviously, you couldn't protect against let's say a hydro-
plahe skimming along the water. There are certain places and limits
that your screen must observe economically and I don't-know whether
that has anything to do with this or not.
GOVERNOR: Thank you, gentlemen.
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GOVERNOR: No, or course, we don't. Mr. Evans Just got back, as you
know. I don't know why he was late this morning, but he Just came in
this afternoon (laughter) and we haven't gone into that yet. (laughter)
But as soon as we have a chance we will go into what plans ought to
be formulated for the future to carry on the impetus and interest and
value of this conference and those plans will be developed.
DELANEY: Did Mr. Evans return by commercial aircraft?
GOVERNOR: I don't imagine he -- I really don't know, but I wouldn't
think so. we had so many people down there, though, that I think it
would have been cheaper to come another way. or course Mr. Jamison
was there and I believe there were two secretaries there, that 1 think
or ottohand.
DBLAHEY: I was going to say that if he came back by commercial air-
craft, maybe you had better turn the mike over to him for a few
minutes to comment on travelling from Miami to here while Eastern
flights are out?
svuss: Let me say that one of the remarkable things about this
conference was that we pulled people from this end or the state that
I did not believe we Would have some from this part or the state
because of that airline strike. we had these people from Pensacola
who could not find a convenient schedule to some down. They went to
several industrial firms in that area -- they borrowed from the firms,
they chartered some other planes because they had so many peeple. We
had tour carloads or people from Lake City. We had people from all
up and down the state.
GOVERNOR: Apalachicola, Port St. Joe, Panama City.
EVANS: The distribution was state-wide to an extent far greater than
we had anticipated. Governor, may I make one comment? I haven't had
an opportunity to talk to you about this. On this business of follow-
up to the conference: As a result or this conference yesterday, the
Polk County Commission, which was there in a body, has already set
about establishing a conference similar to this on a county-wide
basis to be held in that county. we have four other groups that, as
groups, contacted us before we left last night and early this morning
to see what help we could give them in establishing this type or
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conference and getting this information to their people. we have two
groups who came to us who want to take the tape recordings of the
entire conference and to use them for study groups in their community.
we are going to take the tapes of it and make a radio-type program
of a half hour or hour of the highlights of this conference -- the
Governor mentioned this in his closing remarks last night. I was
counting the list on the plane coming back up -- I have R3 requests
for that program as of last night. The response these people want
new to share with others in a very affirmative fashion the informa-
tion that they gained from these people yesterday.
GOVERNOR: Incidentally, we promised them a transcript of the
proceedings, which may be a little involved in getting, but we do
have the facilities for doing it if we can work out the time and the
finances for doing it.
STARR: Governor, do you think with the success of this yesterday
that this would be an ideal model for other states to follow in
setting up future things along this line?
GOVERNOR: I really do. There having been only positive results from
it, I think it would he an excellent pattern for others to follow.
I am hopeful that that will be done. or course, I hOpe that in
school systems elsewhere they will he as aggressive as Florida is
being. because a program like this does its best backing up other
programs.
STARR: would the State of Florida share with other states their
planning and how they went into this?
GOVERNOR: Be delighted to do so.
TUTTLB: I noticed that Dr. Reit: wasn't particularly enthusiastic
about the Board of Control's final determination on teachers'
salaries?
GOVERNOR: well, that seems to be an occupational characteristic.
(laughter)
TUTTIB: Don't you think perhaps the next Legislature will be inclined
to perhaps bring it closer to what he thinks is the competitive level
for instructional salaries?
GOVERNOR: I couldn't predict that now. It depends upon too many
factors not now known. Let me say that it took strong pull last time
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to get them as far as we got them this time and I would Just assume
that without additional strong_pulling we couldn't go as much further
as we would like to go. However, he may have information not
available to me.
TUTTLE: Don't you think the character of the state's economic develop-
ment has changed somewhat though in this space age - it goes further
into the space age so that the selling of education and salaries
might be an easier Job than it was in the spring?
GOVERNOR: There is no question about it. But in spite of all
derogatory remarks, we have increased university salaries 31 per cent.
And those of you who have received larger raises recently, of course,
may not think this much.(Laughter) (Loud)
DELANEY: Put that in the transcript loud laughter. (moans)
(LOUDER)
GOVERNOR: But most of us not so sophisticated it seems a real good
stride forward even in the space age for one year.
TUTTLE: Yes, but the reason I am asking in the light of the 31 per
cent is because it depended upon how you calculate it?
GOVERNOR: No, it doesn't depend on how you calculate it, unless you
mean you calculate it accurately or inaccurately. If you calculate
it accurately, it amounts to 31 per cent. If you calculate it some
other way, it amounts to a different figure I assume. We have
provided the money for that kind of raise. I think the quarrel,
however, was not with the 31 per cent, but with a figure of no per
cent that crept in somewhere. This was not my figure. I can assume
where it came from -- it seems to me that the No. 1 rank or the full
professor rank at the University of Florida did go up no per cent as
I recall that -- I haven't looked at them since this thing came up,
but my recollection is that the full professor rank at the university
of Florida increased in salary no per cent. And, of course, 29 is a
is a significant difference from that, whereas from 31 it is rela
tively insignificant.
STARR: Governor, President Kennedy the other day made a flat state-
ment that he was looking for this medicare bill to become the key to
the November elections. How do you think this is going to face
Democrats in Florida, especially with Senator Smathers voting against
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medicare as he did?
GOVERNOR: Well, that is a problem that I can't prognosticate on. I
have not attempted to evaluate the political significance or the
medicare vote. I am confident that our two United States Senators
are well advised and competent to make a decision.
TUTTLB: Are you going to make an effort to have the Legislature
implement that report or the second section of the Kerr-Mills Act?
GOVERNOR: I don't know.
JENNINGS: Governor, President Kennedy in a speech several weeks ago
at Yale suggested that there were a number of myths that were mis-
leading and that were outdated and was not restricted to the kind or
reality on which to base the kind or decisions that he thinks is
needed. I wonder if you as being the certainly now the strong
leader of the Democratic Party in Florida if you feel any responsi-
bility for helping to explain away these myths?
GOVERNOR: Let me say that I have not even cataloged in my mind what
the President has in mind. I remember the phrase about the myths,
but I don't remember what he pointed out as being a myth, and I
couldn't comment on the specifics of it. I am confident that there
are economic myths as there are myths in most areas of human knowledge
but I don't know to what he was referring.
HILLS: What is our status on reapportionment -- are we waiting and
seeing still?
GOVERNOR: The same as last week, precisely.
wILLS: What was our position last week? (laughter)
(Remarks unintelligible because of laughter)
GOVERNOR: You fellows missed a golden opportunity to misquote me
last week. (laughter)
HILLS: We gave you this same opportunity.
GOVERNOR: That's right.
DELANEY: Are you sure we didn't?
WILLS: We are trying to correct that oversight now by asking you
again?
GOVERNOR: I Just want to reaffirm the position I took last week on
that matter.
DELANKY: Have you been in touch, Governor, with any more members of
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the Legislature since last week on the question of reapportionment?
GOVERNOR: Yes, continuously.
DELANEY: You were not with the members or the Senate last weekend?
GOVERNOR: No, I was not.
DELANEY: Just talked with a few of them individually?
GOVERNOR: Yes, as they came by or called me on other business usually.
DUNN: Are you still meeting with favorable reaction on the
constitutional convention question?
GOVERNOR: I haven't discussed it since last week with anybody that
I can think or. I have. I talked about it with one Senator last
night and he said he was against it.
TUTTLE: Have you got any reports out of that Senate conference. I
mean did any senator report to you what went on there and the
conclusions that were reached that you would like to share with us?
They seem sort of closed mouthed.
GOVERNOR: Yes. I can give you o- my report was very general. One
was that the Senate in general approved of the statements that were
reported to them that I had made in the press conference relative
to the wisdom of postponing the question until after July 23. I
believe that was the only consensus that was reported to me.
WILLS: Governor, I take it there is some resistance to this
constitutional convention proposal?
GOVERNOR: Oh, yes, or course, there is that resistance. I don't
know about that -- I think it is very easy to understand. Everyone
is afraid what might come out or a constitutional convention. I am
afraid of it myself. I can conceive of their ending my term July 1,
1953. and shifting around the several powers or the various offices
or doing a whole multitude of things. But faint heart never wrote
a fine constitution, as it were, and I think we will Just have to
press ahead. Every time you introduce a bill in the house or the
senate you run the risk that someone will amend it and make it some-
thing you dont want at all. But that's Just part of the process,
and I believe that a group of 95 man you draw them together for the
purpose or rewriting and having that trust reposed in them would act
in a way that I would be willing to have confidence in them.
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WILLS: In any event whatever they do would be voted on by the people?
GOVERNOR: I think that it probably would. It would if the Legis-
lature required that it be.
WILLS: Your recommendation would be that --
GOVERNOR: It would be submitted to the people. I think it would
have a salutary effect on the attitude of the people gathered
together.
DELANEY: Governor, in the State of Michigan I believe the federal
court yesterday or the day before ordered some action on the state
senate apportionment in that state, then said that if they didn't
get it that the senators would be required to run at large. Do you
know the exact mechanics of how that would work in Florida should
this come about?
GOVERNOR: I think it would be run Just the same way.
DELANEY: What would it be Just candidates submitting themselves to
the electorate or the entire state?
GOVERNOR: That is correct.
DELANEY: There would be 38 men elected?
GOVERNOR: There would be 19 elected.
W: on, 19?
GOVERNOR: Yes, and they would run at large as other candidates for
example the Railroad and Public Utilities Comisaion.
DELANEY: And the top 19 men would win the 19 seats regardless of
whether --
GOVERNOR: I would assume that would be true.
DELANEY: Do you think this appearing that this would come about has
made the Legislature a little more amenable to better reapportionment?
GOVERNOR: Well, I think it is a result not wildly desired among the
legislators. (laughter) I don't want to over-state the case.
(laughter)
DELAREY: Who would those people represent? There would be 19 or
them representing the state at large?
GOVERNOR: They would be state senators.
DELAREY: And there would still be 19 state senators representing
specific districts?
GOVERNOR: Yes.
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DELANEY: This would create a real difficult situation would it not?
GOVERNOR: Yes it would.
TUTTLE: You would have 20 senators from Dede?
GOVERNOR: Or none.
WILLS: Would they have to run in those existing districts too?
GOVERNOR: I would not think so. You can't ell, something like that
might give rebirth to a lot more sectionalism than you had before.
In fact, it probably would. Nineteen candidates and their opponents
couldn't hope to be known state-wide. The monetary problem would be
utterly impossible to solve and, therefore, people -- there might be
coalitions or types that I can't now imagine in order to put teams
together that would have a broad sectional appeal.
DELANEY: Well, how could they possibly run? Would they be voted on
only by the people in the 19 now existing districts where the senators--
GOVERNOR: I take it they would run at-large, period.
DELANEY: Well, then people in counties who have senators who are
carry-overs would hava an opportunity to vote on these senators too?
GOVERNOR: I would think so.
DELANEY: A messy situation.
WILLS: Is the resistance to this constitutional convention centered
more in one house of the Legislature than in the other?
GOVERNOR: More in the house than in the Senate.
WILLS: That is a fact?
GOVERNOR: Yes, in my experience.
WILLS: Why is that, do you know?
GOVERNOR: I haven't the remotest idea, probably Just the personalities
involved.
WILLS: Do you care to identify any reluctant personalities?
GOVERNOR: No. I would rather let them speak for themselves on that.
DUNN: Well, didn't you say last week that you were meeting with a
general acceptance of the majority of the legislators you interviewed
-- that they were in favor of the constitutional convention?
GOVERNOR: That is correct. No, in favor of it when I talked to them.
Sometimes I get other reports or their conversations a day later or
two days later. But at least when I talk with them and we exchange
views we reach a pretty substantial agreement.
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DELANEY: You have got them sold, but you can't keep them sold?
GOVERNOR: That is right, because you see they go out and somebody
says, "Suppose they take away your road money, or "Suppose they take
away your race track money." Or something like this. Then they say,
"Oh, no, no, I don't want to go for that. I am against anything that
might endanger those things." And so they have honestly responded in
both instances, but there is Just such a myriad of hob-goblins that
can be erected out of this thing that almost any expressive,
persuasive person can sell them against it with one or these hot-
goblins .
STARR: Governor, you have spoken of your tears on a constitutional
convention. Generally, what are your hopes?
GOVERNOR: I don't have a specific pattern in mind. Let my Just say
that from 1946 through 1950 I worked with the Florida Bar Committee
and we submitted to the 'h9 Legislature a completely revised
constitution and since then I have participated in submitting a number
or other proposals. I am not wedded to particular ideas. I would be
content to see men or good will and intelligence and a good
constitutional background sit down and work one out and I would live
with it. I am canfident it would be a better Job than the one we now
have. or course, if the problem comes up, I will be coming forward
with my own ideas. But what they are going to be, I couldn't at the
moment tell you.
WILLS: Governor, are you opposed to retail price fixing of milk?
GOVERNOR: Yes, sir.
WILLS: Yen remain opposed?
GOVERNOR: I am opposed to price fixing, period.
WILLS: Period?
GOVERNOR: Let me put it this way: I am in favor of free market
operations. One problem.the milk industry has makes it peculiar and
the achievement of a free market very, very difficult. And I think
it was this problem that led the last Milk Commission to put us in the
price control situation we are in now. And that is this: Suppose
you have got two distributors in area "A" and 12 producers. Now our
State Board or Health regulations and other regulations require that
for this milk to be distributed it has got to be pasteurized and maybe
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