GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 297 



Mr. Graxger. That is right, but it was a payment that was direct 

 to the producer. 



Secretary Braxxax. It certainly was, and from the standpoint of 

 efficiency and simplicity of operation it was very good. 



Mr. Graxger. As well as getting the money where it belonged. 

 Secretary Braxxax. Yes. 



Mr. Graxger. "While the reasons are different, the method would 

 be the same. 



Secretary Brannax. That is right because we had to use feeds. 

 There were many demands for livestock feeds at the time and in order 

 to get them into the milk production it was necessary to subsidize 

 the price of the feed. 



Mr. AxDRESEX. Will the gentleman yield? 

 Mr. Graxger. I will yield to Mr. Poage. 



Mr. Poage. I want to ask the Secretary a question right there. 

 Did the farmer not come in for a lot of undeserved criticism in connec- 

 tion with that subsidj' in the thmking on the part of the public and 

 the numerous statements on the part of the commentators, newspapers, 

 radio people and everyone else in this country, including politicians, 

 to the effect that the farmer was being paid billions of dollars by the 

 taxpayers? That was true, was it not? The public generally looked 

 upon the farmers as gettmg these billions out of the taxpayers. 



Secretary' Braxxax^. Mr. Poage, there were so many things being 

 said at that tune. OP.A. was mvolved in the deal. There was so 

 much crossfire that I am sure somebody said just what you said but 

 I never felt that it was any consensus or should be given any substan- 

 tial weight. 



Ml-. Poage. Do you thmk the majority of the people of the United 

 States realized that that was for the benefit of the consumer rather 

 than for the benefit of the producer? 



Secretary Branxax. Most of the farmers were saying it was a 

 consumer subsidy. 



Mr. Poage. I think most of the farmers did but what about the 

 other 80 percent of the people? 



Secretary' Braxxax. Our chief business is taking care of farmers. 

 Mr. Poage. That is right, but you were taking care of consumers 

 there and the farmers were blamed with it and charged with it. Even 

 today, the next time you see some of these figures about how much we 

 have been spending on the Government, you will find that in the last 

 10 years they will tell you that the United States Government has put 

 out so many billions of dollars in the way of payments to farmers and 

 they are going to mclude those $2,000,000,000 or whatever it was 

 you spent on milk. I am sure Mr. Wells will verify that you are 

 going to find those figures all over the United States, that the United 

 States Department of ,A.griculture, over the past 10 years, has spent 

 so many billions of dollars adding to the income of farmers and in 

 that total billions is going to be every dollar that you paid out for 

 consumer subsidies. 



Secretary Braxxax. Mr. Poage, I do not think anybody will dis- 

 agree with you about that. .Ml kinds of things appear in all kinds of 

 situations in this great country of ours. 



Mr. Poage. Should we not try to keep the farmer from being im- 

 fairly blamed with these things if we can? 



Secretary Braxnan. Maybe that is one of the objectives we ought 

 to keep in mind. In my opinion, the real objectives we should keep 



