S42 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



that you are trying to support by controlling the production? I agree 

 with you 100 percent that from the standpoint of policy, if it is a good 

 policy in the one case it is a good policy in the other. 



To m.y mind, when you get into crops like cotton and wheat and 

 tobacco and cattle, that is really where this limitation on size could 

 be effective. That is where you get the big operators. But I do not 

 see how you can support the price of wheat when you support only 

 three-fourths of the production. 



The Secretary suggested that one-fourth of the total production is 

 produced by these people who are operating in such a volume as to 

 produce m.ore than 1,800 family units. If you attempt to support 

 three-fourths of the cotton crop or three-fourths of the Vvdieat crop 

 and let the other fourth m.ove in the market, I think you will find it 

 much more expensive than you would to support the whole crop. 

 That fourth can break your market to such an extent that it seems 

 to me it would be an utterly impractical thin.g to try to carry on a 

 support program, for cotton or wheat like we have at the present time 

 and deny it to the large producers, because the large producers can 

 come on. the market and break the support price. 



Mr. Hope. I think there is a great deal to what you say from a 

 practical standpoint. That is one reason why I am. somewhat in 

 doubt as to the practicability of carrying out that kind of a program. 

 That is one of the big doubts I have about it. I am talking now 

 about the theory of the program. 



Mr. PoACxE. I do not see who it is going to apply to if you do not 

 apply it to these people. 



As the Secretary said, you are not going to put controls on cattle. 

 It will not leave anybody, excepting hog growers, and I do not know 

 any hog growers that are in the business on the scale of Tom Camp- 

 bell or Kleberg's ranch. 



Mr. Hope. If you apply it to those commodities on which there are 

 marketing quotas or acreage allotments, I do not think you will do 

 much toward stopping the increase of large farms. The large farmer 

 will be able then, just as he is now, to go out and buy an adjoining 

 farm and increase the size of his operation. He will be entitled to 

 get acreage allotments on the same basis for his newly acquired land, 

 and he will go out and buy another farm. So there will be nothing 

 at all in this particular program that would keep the large farms from 

 getting larger and the small farms from disappearing and getting 

 smaller if you are not going to make it apply to these commodities 

 in which large farming is practiced. 



That is all I care to say about it. 



Mr. Chairman. Mr. Granger. 



Mr. Granger. I have nothing further. 



Mr. White. Mr. Chairman, may I point out something there? 

 I do not like this word "backing away" from something. The Sec- 

 retary has simply said that he made a mistake in offering that 1 ,800 

 units here on the commodities that were under acreage control, and 

 I do not like those words, "backing away." 



Mr. Hope. I certainly mean no offense by using those words. I 

 Understood and I thought other members of the committee under- 

 stood when the Secretary first came up here that this was to apply 

 everywhere. Now he says that he did not define it explicitly enough 

 the first time. I certainly do not mean any offense or criticism. 



