GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 331 



Secretary Brannan. It is $4.22 straight across the board but that 

 would be a national average or perhaps a regional average. 



Mr. Murray. We do not come out very well on those national 

 averages. 



Secretary Brannan. I realize that. Mr. Andresen and I spoke 

 yesterday about the possible need for some regionalization of these 

 things. 



That figure is right, $4.22 for all wholesale milk. 



Mr. Murray. What is the set-up for the 67-cents for butterfat. 



Secretary Brannan. There is nothing in this statement which 

 refers to that. 



Mr. Murray. But I want something in that statement or else we 

 will have to put it on the committee because I do not like to be on 

 the short end all the time on those things. 



There is not that much difference in milk. It does not make it 

 any cleaner and if it is not clean enough to go into a bottle it should 

 not go anywhere else. 



I do not want to go into that today. There is too much spread 

 in there. I do not know as I want to drag the other fellows down 

 but I want to get up in the front seat with them. I do not want to 

 sit on the back seat forever. 



I will just finish my observation with the wage scale which you 

 have in your proposal as shown for the farm operation in table I. 



No mention has been made in your proposal about taking care of 

 the 6 or 7 million people who are working for farmers and who are 

 not to be assured any support for the'r wages. This is notlrng original 

 on my part. I am just copying it from the sugar section, where you 

 as the Secretary of Agriculture have the authority vested in you by 

 the Congress to see to it that a producer of sugar pays a certain wage 

 to the laborer who works in the fields. 



There are 6 or 7 million people who are tied up with American 

 agriculture in working on the farms. I think in a long-range agri- 

 cultural program that should have some place. 



Secretary Brannan. I agree, sir. That we touched upon very 

 briefly on about page 30 of the statement of April 7. 



Mr. Murray. As long as you have it in mind I will check that 

 over again. I don't want to take any more time on that. 



On this wage they say they are going to raise or lower the minimimi 

 wage of labor in a few days. But I think there is one thing we 

 should all appreciate. The farmer gets his wage through this support 

 program. 



But he also gets a job along with it. The laborer as such has a 

 minimum wage but there is no assurance that he has a job. I realize 

 the relationship between the two. I think we must consider that the 

 man not only has a wage, which may not be high enough to suit him, 

 but under your program he will at least have a job. 



He may not think you are paying him enough and probably you 

 will not, because I do not think anyone ever got paid too much but 

 I think we must keep in mind that that must have a relationship to 

 our minimum wage, no matter whether it is changed by the Congress 

 in the next few months or not. 



If your proposal represents the hourly wage to the man who owns 

 the farm, then the man who works as a laborer on that farm must be 

 in the picture and you must realize that the laborers on the farm are 



