GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 255 



Mr. PoAGE. I do not like the 5 percent check any better than the 

 laboring man likes to have it. 



Secretary Brannan. But it is 100 percent payment. 



Mr. PoAGE. .4.S is suggested, in the case of the tariff situation for 

 the benefit of manufacturers, those manufacturers who were too 

 proud to have the United States Government give them a direct 

 hand-out, they want to be able to say, we want to make certain that 

 you will give us protection to be sure, but we want you to give us a 

 club to beat the other fellow over the head with as we take the money 

 away from him with one hand to pay it to the tax collector with the 

 other. I grant you that the result to the public is the same. 



Mr. Andresen. Will the gentleman yield? 



Mr. Poage. Yes. 



Mr. .A.NDRESEN. You will recall under the sugar act where the 

 Government collects about $80,000,000 in taxes on sugar a year and 

 they pay out $60,000,000 to producers and $20,000,000 goes into the 

 Treasury. Do you have that kind of program in mind? 



Mr. PoAGE. I do not think the Government needs to make a profit 

 on it. 



Mr. Andresen. This would be a producers tax? 



Mr. Poage. Well, I think the sugar producers feel that they are 

 paying into the Government something which they collect, and this 

 comrnittee has been told time and again by the sugar producers. 



Mr. Hope. Will the gentleman yield — of course, they do not pay; 

 the consumer pays. 



Mr. Poage. I understand the consumer pays, yes; and I think the 

 consumer will pay for it in any case. 



Mr. Andresen. That is a case where there was sugar coating. 



Mr. Poage. Exactly. Mr. Secretary, I am not trying to contend 

 for one second that the economic effect would be materially different, 

 but I do contend that the psychological effect would be vastly differ- 

 ent, and I am simply making the suggestion that you should give 

 serious consideration, in a program to maintain price level, or whether 

 it is through loan, to try to make some program available to the farmer 

 to make him feel that he is earning the money he gets, and I think it 

 is better for him if we could provide some price insurance, as I say, 

 not because the economic effect would be any different but the 

 psychological effect because it would help him to -maintain his self- 

 respect and self-reliance. I do not mean it will give him more money, 

 but I think it is more desirable from the psychological effect it would 

 have on the farmer. It may not mean more from the financial 

 standpoint, but it will mean more in helping them to maintain their 

 self-respect; in helping them to become home owners, in helping 

 tenants, we have spent a great deal of time and effort and money, 

 because we believe in the soundness of a program that provides homes 

 for individuals, and for the same reason I am suggesting here that we 

 provide a program of self-respect for this large group of American 

 citizens, instead of asking them to take a straight subsidy that we 

 have, if you please, a little sugar coating just as we have had for the 

 laboring man and as we have had for the manufacturer; we have 

 subsidized the manufacturer; we have subsidized the newspapers; we 

 have subsidized the air lines, the railroads, the truck lines, and have 

 subsidized practically everybody else. 



Mr. WoRLEY. Not to forget the House Restaurant. 



