APPROPRIATION BILL FOR 1943 HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEVENTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS CLIFTON A. WOODRUM, Virginia J. BUELL SNYDER, Pennsylvania ROSS A. COLLINS, Mississippi JOHN TABER, New York RICHARD B. WIGGLESWOR' WILLIAM P. LAMBERTSON, D. LANE POWERS, New Jers J. WILLIAM DITTER, Penns ALBERT E. CARTER, Califor ROBERT F. RICH, Pennsylva CHARLES A. PLUMLEY, Ver EVERETT M. DIRKSEN, Illin ALBERT J. ENGEL, Michigar KARL STEFAN, Nebraska FRANCIS H. CASE, South Da FRANK B. KEEFE, Wisconsir NOBLE J. JOHNSON, Indiana ROBERT F. JONES, Ohio DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATION BILL, 1943 HEARINGS CONDUCTED BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE, MESSRS. MAL- SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 1942. CONSERVATION AND USE OF AGRICULTURAL LAND RESOURCES STATEMENTS OF RUDOLPH M. EVANS, ADMINISTRATOR; BUFORD ADMINISTRATION Mr. TARVER. The committee begins this morning consideration of the estimates for the conservation and use of agricultural land rescurces, and we have with us Mr. Evans, head of this organization, and his associates. Before beginning consideration of the items of the estimate, the committee would like to have a general statement from Mr. Evans relative to the work under your jurisdiction and what is contemplated for the next fiscal year. GENERAL STATEMENT Mr. EVANS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. During the last year we have had our most successful year; not only have we had widespread participation on the part of farmers to the extent of at least about 80 or 85 percent in the range of crops planted coming under the program, but the public generally has felt kinder toward our program than, I think, they have at any prior time. Possibly one of the reasons for the change in the public attitude has been the ability of the program to operate as a service agency under wartime conditions. When it became necessary that we send an increased volume of high-protein foods to Great Britain all that it was necessary to do 1943, t. was to take the materials from the ever-normal granary and convert them into livestock and livestock products. I was in England last summer for about 30 days and I had a good opportunity to see just how important it was that England receive an ever-increasing volume of these commodities if she was going to continue to fight to her maximum ability. I suppose the importance of food to Great Britain is hardly appreciated by the average American because of the fact that we have an abundance in this country, but now we know that England has to depend on importing a major portion of their food and it has become a matter of almost life and death to them. I suppose that the average American is not aware of the fact that the A. A. A. program is largely responsible for the fact that we have not had to resort to rationing food products produced in this country up to this time. I do not suppose the average person realizes how much of protein food value we are sending Great Britain. We are also sending a lot of food to Russia and to some other people who are fighting on the same side of the war as we are, and we have been able to do that, Mr. Chairman, without unduly running up the price to the American consumer. I suppose that the clearest indication of that is the factual statement that the average factory worker in the United States today can buy 25 percent more agricultural commodities with his dollar than he could in the year 1929 which was supposed to be a year of high industrial activity. While wages are probably higher today than they were in 1929 the farmer gets a smaller percentage of them. Mr. TARVER. I do not think that very statement is something that we should congratulate ourselves about, that is, that the dollar of the industrial worker is worth so much more in terms of agricultural products than it was in 1929. The converse of that statement of course is that the dollar of the farmer is worth quite a little less than it was in 1929 in terms of purchases of products of industry which he is required to make. Mr. EVANS. That is quite true, but the reason that I made the statement, Mr. Chairman, was this: Very frequently people seem to feel that agricultural prices are too high, and they pass on that statement very frequently. Mr. TARVER. The farmer does not feel that way about it. Mr. EVANS. No. Mr. TARVER. And therefore I do not believe we should congratulate ourselves on the basis of the fact that the farmer does not get a fair return, as long as your organization is to work in the interest of agriculture and to see what you can do for his best interest. Mr. EVANS. Yes; but we have this responsibility, I think, toward the consumer, Mr. Chairman, that when Congress set up the evernormal granary and gave us the funds to do that job, it was set up for the sole purpose of protecting the consumer regardless of any emergency that might arise, and so it is a clear indication of the ability of that agency to meet the emergency condition. Mr. TARVER. Of course, the protection of the consumer was one purpose. Mr. EVANS. Yes. Mr. TARVER. And the other was the producer, but the principal purpose of this program was not to look after the consumer; it was to look after the producer. Mr. EVANS. I think we can say that we are doing that now, in that farm prices are reaching the goal of parity which has been the objective of this Act since it was passed and which is what the farmer desires, as far as prices of farm products are concerned. Mr. TARVER. You have reference now to the standard which has been set up for parity? Mr. EVANS. Yes. Mr. TARVER. 1909-14 standard? Mr. EVANS. Yes. Mr. TARVER. Which does not take into consideration increased industrial wages. Mr. EVANS. That is right. Mr. TARVER. Increases which have occurred since that time and out of all proportion to the increase in price of farm products, an item which certainly would seem to be an important factor, so far as determining what the program of the producer should be, and when we congratulate ourselves upon hiving reached, with a number of agricultural commodities, something in the neighborhood of parity it ought to be clearly understood that the term "parity" used in that connection does not accord with what a great many think should constitute parity. Mr. EVANS. No; the only point I was making referred to "parity" that is set out in the act. Our plans for the future, now that the United States is in the war, are being very carefully worked out to so regulate our agricultural production that we will do two things: First, we will get production of an adequate supply of agricultural commodities for our own citizens and for the Allies and others to whom we are supplying agricultural commodities; and second, retain, insofar as it is humanly possible to do so, the gains we have had under the conservation features of the program. The way that we are doing that is to accelerate the increase of production of the commodities that are needed in greater supply and to hold our production of those commodities that are not needed in any increased volume, much the same as what is now being done with industry in converting the automobile factory to the manufacture of airplanes. We feel that in the year 1943 the program in full operation, under about the same conditions as it has been in the past, will achieve the goals of production and will produce an abundant supply of agricultural commodities for the American people and for the people associated with us in the prosecution of the war. CHANGES IN CONTROL PLAN (See pp. 11, 13) Mr. TARVER. Will you please indicate for the information of the committee just what changes you have made in the control program to take care of any situation presented by our national emergency? |