GENERAL FARM. PROGRAM 



TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 1949 



House of Representatives, 



Committee on Agriculture, 



Washington , D. 0. 

 Tlae Chairman (Mr. Cooley) . Tho committee will come to order. 

 The committee is honored to have present this morning the very 

 lovely group of young ladies from Dalton High School from the city 

 of New York. It is a very good sign to see people from the city inter- 

 ested not only in the Government but in the agricultural affairs of the 

 Nation. We want to welcome you here and the Chair expresses the 

 hope that your visit to Washington will be profitable and pleasant in 

 every respect. 



We have with us again this morning Secretary Brannan. W^e will 

 be very glad to proceed with your statement, Mr. Secretaiy. Mr. 

 Granger of Utah desires to question you at this time. 



FURTHER STATEMENT OF HON. CHARLES F. BRANNAN, 

 SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE 



Mr. Granger. Mr. Secretary, there has been criticism of your pro- 

 posal in the press and elsewhere, as being a program that would regi- 

 ment the farmers and, as was indicated yesterday by Mr. Poage, your 

 proposal to give direct subsidies would be demoralizing to the American 

 farmer and the American people. I am wondering if there is any 

 thinking in the Department, by the Secretary or any of his people, 

 along the lines of intentionally or otherwise advocating a program that 

 would' be extremely scrcialistic or which in any way would regiment the 

 American farmer to the disadvantage of the American people and our 

 way of doing business. 



Secretary Brannan. Mr. Granger, I say to you most sincerely that 

 I believe the proposals we have made will require less Government 

 regulation ot- interference with what farmers are doing than will the 

 programs now enacted into law. If I might explain that feeling, I 

 think, in a few words, it would be this: 



The important objective ahead of American agriculture in these next 

 few years is to make certain adjustments out of the crops and away 

 from the crops which will be in long supply if the present pattern of 

 production is continued and into the crops which are, for the time being 

 at least, in short supply. 



There are two ways, at least, of doing that. One is by inducing 

 people to leave the crops which are in long supply by lowering the 

 prices on them to the place whej-e it is attractive to go to something 

 else. 



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