430 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



We are contemplating the need for wheat quotas next year and I 

 do not think that many people doubt the need of the corn growers for 

 quotas and certainly the needs of some other growers. 



If that should be the wisdom of the committee, you would think it 

 would be a reasonable conclusion ? 



Mr. Talbott. If you would try the compensatory payments on a 

 couple of commodities such as you outlined as a pattern maker. I 

 would hope, however, that costs on one or two commodities where we 

 do not deal across the board with all of them would not be used as 

 firm criteria of what costs per commodity or per group of commodi- 

 ties might be if we do later decide to go across the board, because I 

 think that would be an unfair comparison. 



Mr. Pace. At least it would be a very helpful experience for this 

 committee. 



Mr. Talbott. It would be a helpful administrative experience in 

 terms of application of the principles of either production or com- 

 pensatory payments. 



Mr. Pace. No doubt there are many features of it that even the 

 Secretary has not thought of. Evidently, he did not even think of this 

 suggestion of yours of monthly regional computations. 



Mr. Talbott. We would hope in the meantime and as quickly as 

 possible to try to get the full benefit of this Department's thinking 

 on your suggestions to see whether or not or to what extent our position 

 could be brought into conformance with theirs, or perhaps some of 

 their positions could be brought into conformity with ours. That may 

 sound like an optimistic statement and doubtless it is. I do not mean 

 it that way. 



If that could happen we could state positively to the committee, in- 

 stead of having to hedge, that we do support this part of the program 

 and that we do not support that part of the program. 



I would hope that we could do that and certainly we would think it 

 was a very great victory for family-type farmers, as a minimum, to 

 have an extension or a postponement for a year while the Congress had 

 an adequate opportunity to give thorough consideration to the whole 

 problem rather than default and not take any action. 



Mr. Pace. I share fully your great respect for the great Senator 

 from Vermont, but I do not know of anything that would bring about 

 a tailspin, or depression in this Xation quicker than for the Aiken bill 

 as presently written to go into effect on the 1st day of January. 



Mr. Talbott. We are in thorough agreement with you on that. 



Mr. Pace. It is going to break farm i)rices and, as the Secretary of 

 Agriculture so well said, farmers lead the way up and down. 



The committee is indebted to you and your organization. 



We will adjourn until 10 o'clock tomorrow morning, when the Farm 

 Bureau representatives will appear. 



Mr. Talbott. May I say, Mr. Chairman, that we are very apprecia- 

 tive of the courtesy extended to us by you and the members of your 

 committee. 



Mr. Pace. You have been very helpful. 



(At 4: 20 p. m. the connnittee was adjourned until 10 o'clock Thurs- 

 day, April 28, 1949.) 



