448 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



nuts, tobacco, unci of the very special cases involved. Tliey do, how- 

 ever, occupy a relatively small amount of the acreage involved under 

 cultivation 'in America and we do need to fit the special programs 

 which we have evolved into an over-all situation Avhicli makes sense 

 both from the standpoint of American agriculture and from the 

 standpoint of America itself. 



That is the best protection of a tobacco program that I know of, 

 i. e., to have it adequately fitted into an over-all program Avhich meets 

 the problems of other commodities as well as tlie tobacco program 

 meets the problems of tobacco. 



Mr. CooLET. Just one other question. 



Mr. Sutton, Let me follow with one more quest ioii right there. 

 Then had it been 60 percent of parity or 72 percent of parity, the 

 farmer would not have enjoyed as much prosperity as he has under 

 90 percent of parity, would he? 



Mr. KiviNE. The question is not specific with regard to commodity. 

 Do you mean to make it that way? 



Mr. Sutton. I am talking about cotton and tobacco. If it had 

 been 60 or 72 percent of purity, the farmer woidd not have enjoyed 

 the prosperity he has under 90 percent of parity, would he? 



INIr. Kline."^ I would much prefer to let Mr. Randolph, president of 

 the Alabama Farm Bureau, make an estimate, if he cares to, with 

 regard to what the price would have been had there been no program. 



Mr. Sutton. But just connnon sense w^ill tell you that since the cot- 

 ton farmer is getting a support \n-\ve today of iH) percent liis pooitiou 

 would have been worse had it not been that high. 



Mr. Kline. I would like to have Mr. Randolj)]! indicate what he 

 thinks the eti'ect W'Ould have been over the last 10 years. 



Mr. Sutton. That will be all right. It is perfectly obvious. 



Mr. CooLEY. Will you make a general statement yourself to answer 

 a general question? Do you think this 90-percent support program 

 has been in the interest of the fariners? 



]Mr. Kline. You mean during the war '! 



Mr. CooLEY During the last 10 years and during its entire operation. 



Mr. Kline. We promoted the tiling. We thought it was a good 

 thing and especially we thought it was a good thing to have a continua- 

 tion, of it for a short time after the war in order to make for possible 

 readjustment to peacetime conditions. It involved expansion in some 

 areas and capital investment in other areas and agriculture deserved, 

 the same sort of consideration as other groups. Those were two theo- 

 ries upon wdiich the support program was put into etfect early in the 

 Avar. The first was that we could get production by high supports 

 in areas where they were essential to public welfare and especially to 

 the national defense. 



The second was that the farmer deserved that much protection if 

 he went into new business and invested capital and so on. I cer- 

 tainly concur in both those judgments. I think they were good. 



Mr, CooLEY. Do you think that the 90 percent program has served 

 well the cause of agriculture in recent years ? 



Mr. Kline, Yes, sir ; I am perfectly willing to agree. 



Mr. CooLEY. Although you admit that it has been a benefit to the 

 fariner, you are still not willing to loAver than 90 percent?' 



