GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 445 



Mr. Klixe. Under the proposal of the American Farm Bureau 

 Federation the farmer would get all for cotton that there was any 

 possibility of getting. The act furnishes him a guaranteed floor and 

 under the proposal which we have suggested here, marketing quotas 

 could be put in at any time that the price was 90 percent of parit}* 

 or below, and the supply was normal or above. 



Mr. CooLET. Wliat would that give the farmer, 72 percent of parity, 

 "would it not? 



Mr. Klixe. It would give him a support of 90 percent of parity if the 

 marketing quotas were ellective. I am not talking about the price, 

 I am talking about the support price. 



Mr. CooLET. Why shoidd you weaken the support under agriculture 

 at a lime when we should be strengthening it ? 



Mr. Klix'e. The fact of the matter is that this does not weaken the 

 support. This is the highest support program we have ever tried to 

 operate in ])eacetime. It is not vet in operation, this Agricultural Act 

 of 1948. 



Mr. CooLEY. When you use the word "peacetime," do you consider 

 this is a normal period for American agriculture i 



Mr. Klixe. No : this is not a normal period. This is a period during 

 ^lich we are trying to make a reasonable readjustment and we hope 

 it can be a readjustment to a time when America can be truly pros- 

 perous and when agriculture can take its place in that economy with 

 the right to earn and the capacity to earn a very high standard of 

 living. 



]Mr, Pace. Will the gentleman yield there? 



Mr. CooLEY. I will yield. I do not v»-ant to take more time. 



]Mr. Pace. Just one question. Mr. Kline, you referred to the fact 

 that the act of 1948 gives the highest support program in peacetime. 

 Is it not true, however, that the American Farm P/ureau Federation, 

 for which you speak, did in the year 1940. in a time of peace, recom- 

 mend that the support level be raised to 85 percent of parity? 



Mr. Klixe. We made a recommendation in 1940. It is also true 

 that that Avas hardly a time of peace. The declaration of war was 

 September 1. 1939, by Great Britain. The whole world was seething 

 at the time. 



Mr. Pace. Under that viewpoint. Mr. Kline, certainly we would 

 not say this is a day of peace 

 not say this is a dav of peace. 



Mr. Pace. :Mr. vSutton. 



Mr. SuTTOx. ^Ir. Kline, you. as president of the National Farm 

 Bureau Federation, are verv much interested in the farmer, are you 

 not ? 



]\[r. Klix'e. Yes. sir. 



Mr. SuTTOX'. You are interested in his welfare ? 



Mr. Klixe. That is right. 



Mr. SuTTOx". At your convention, was this resolution passed by 

 unanimous consent? 



Mr. Klix'e. I have forgotten what the vote was on the resolution. 

 Tt is seldom that a highly controversial issue gets a unanimous vote. 



]Mr. SuTTOx'. Can you show me one way how that would help the 

 American farmer, the flexible price support ? 



Mr. Klix'e. You can read the whole statement. It is all full of the 

 philosophy of the method by which it would help. 



