GEXERAL FARM PROGRAM 285 



why the change was being made, and youi' soHcitor is without any 

 guidance whatsoever. 



Mr. White. They changed welfare to security? 



Mr. Pace. They changed it from national interest to national 

 security. 



Mr. AxDRESEX. \Miatever that means. Mr. Secretary, you would 

 be the one to decide it, and your solicitor would have to pass upon the 

 issue if you asked him to do so. 



Secretary Brannan. Yes; but he would have to decide it within 

 rules of reason. You could not take just anything and call it the 

 "national welfare" or "national security". 



Mr. AxDRESEX. I think it is. I think, to get more livestock and to 

 get more dairy production would be in the public v.^elfare and in the 

 interest of national security. Reading between the lines of your 

 statement, I think you can probably come to that same conclusion. 



Mr. White. Will the gentleman yield? 



Mr. AxDRESEX. I think this: I have had a good many letters from 

 people wondering when they are going to get the 15-cent milk and the 

 35-cent steak and poi'k chops. I do not think we should hold out a 

 hope that they are going to get them very fast because then it may be 

 construed as political, if they do not get them inside of a week or two. 

 You may have lots of hogs, but I doubt if they are going through 

 the retail channels which would ever get down to 35-cent pork chops 

 for the American consumer. 



!Mr. White. As I understand, the gentleman is desirous of bringing 

 iarm prices down? 



Mr. AxDRESEX. Certainly not. 



Mr. White. You just got through, if I understood you, saying you 

 wanted to see these prices down. 



Mr. AxDRESEN. .\11 right, let me get the record straight on that. 

 The Secretary says that he wants to make support payments to 

 farmers to encournge production, to get an abundance of low food 

 prices to people. Is that right? 



Secretary Brannan. That is right. 



Mr. AxDRESEN. Now, does the gentleman from California under- 

 stand that? 



Mr. White. I certainly do. 



Mr. Andresex. Anybody who knows the enthusiasm for a strong 

 farm economy that I have had knows that, but I do not think we 

 should fool the people by leading them to believe that we are going to 

 give them 15-cent milk within a few days, or 35-cent pork, because it 

 is not going to be realized. 



The Chairman. Mr. Secretary, have you made any such statement, 

 or any statement that would indicate that you believe that they 

 would get 15-cent milk or 35-cent pork, or anything hke that in the 

 very near future? 



Secretary Branxax. I have made no reference to the price of pork 

 as such. I did make reference, in my initial statement, that the 

 production-payment program could lead in the direction of getting 

 prices down, getting milk in the area of 15 cents. 



Mr. Andresen. You said 7 percent on hogs, that the consumer 

 might get meat 7 percent cheaper. 



