68 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



I should say to you that at least for the next few years I would hope 

 there woidd be enough flexibility to deal with some of these problems 

 whieh I think are going to arise. Again I say to you that we are not 

 seeking any powers at all, but there are some powers which are essen- 

 tial to effective control programs. Beyond that, as they are all taken 

 away, I certainly do not care at all. 



Mr. Hope. I just want to comment, Mr. Chairman, that I would 

 hke to see Congress write the rules and determine the policy as far as 

 we can, but I do not see how we can anticipate everything that can 

 possibly happen to the extent that we can put everything in the law 

 that would have to be applied in working out the many complicated 

 problems that are bound to come up as soon as we start to put the 

 controls into effect. I think that one of the biggest jobs confronting 

 this committee, is defining the powers and controls as well as we can 

 as a matter of policy, and still leave enough flexibility and authority 

 that whoever is administering the law will have an opportunity to 

 make it work. I do not think we want to tie things up in such a way 

 as to hand a law to the Department of Agriculture that cannot possibly 

 work. 



Mr. Sutton. Will the gentleman yield? 



Mr. Pace. Mr. Sutton. 



Mr. Sutton. What I was interested in, Mr. Hope, was the fact that 

 a man who was a noncooperator in one phase would be classified as a 

 noncooperator in all phases of it. 



Mr. Hope. I think you have a very good point there, and that is 

 something we want to consider very carefully. I do not know why 

 we cannot work out something along the lines you are speaking of. 



At the same time, I think we are going to have to have some con- 

 trol over the acreage that goes out of production of the controlled 

 crop. 



Mr. Sutton. I agree with that 100 percent. 



Mr. PoAGE. Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Pace. Mr. Poage. 



Mr. PoAGE. It seems to me it is perfectly clear that the members of 

 this committee had not fully realized the powers that the law has given 

 to a department over a long period of years, because on several oc- 

 casions to my recollection, this committee has discussed with repre- 

 sentatives of the Department, the advisability of legislation making 

 all soil conservation payments dependent on compliance with the 

 complete program, that is, compliance with planting on every acre of 

 the land. In short, the question of letting the Department determine 

 just what the land should grow in return for soil conservation payments 

 is what has been discussed. 



Every time it has been generally agreed that we would not go 

 quite that far. Apparently we have already gone that far, if the 

 Department wants to exercise that power. 



That is your opinion, is it not, Mr. Secretary? 



Secretary Brannan. I am so advised, Mr. Poage. 



Mr. Poage. Do you feel that the Department will shortly exercise 

 the power to make all soil conservation payments dependent upon 

 compliance with acreage controls, and that those controls will be im- 

 posed? 



Secretary Brannan. I should say, Mr. Poage, we have not had the 

 question before us. 



