GENERAL FARil PROGRAM 499 



Mr. Kline. There is the whole field of distribution outside the 

 marketing system such as the stamp plan, such as the school lunch, 

 such as the current subsidy for certain exports under certain condi- 

 tions, the purchase program by the Government where the Govern- 

 ment steps into the market and secures for whatever use it lias avail- 

 able for distribution other than the regular channels. 



All of those things are involved, and I do not suggest that the list 

 is complete. I am merely giving you examples. 



Mr. Pace. An enumeration of those brings up a very interesting 

 point in this Aiken bill. It says here in section 302 (a) : 



The Secretary, through the Commodity Credit Corporation and other means 

 available to him, is authorized to support prices of agricultural commodities 

 to producers through loans, purcliases, payments, or other operations. 



As one of the active supporters of the Aiken bill, what is your 

 interpretation of "other operations"? 



Mr. Kline. That is in the area where I saj^ I am not prepared to 

 make an exhaustive analysis of it, but I have given you examples of 

 the kind of things that are suggested. 



Mr. Pace. Is it not true. Mr. Kline, that that leaves any type, 

 character, or kind of program that the Secretary in his discretion 

 might determine ? 



Mr. Kline. Excepting for the eight qualifying provisions which 

 are in the same section. 



Mr. Pace. The eight qualifying sections state, however, that "Con- 

 sideration shall be given to'* these things. 



Mr. Kline. One of those is the availability of funds, which is a 

 very important limitation. 



Mr. Pace. Are you in favor of that limitation? 



Mr. Kline. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Pace. Do you mean that you think, if the Congress appro- 

 priates funds to the Commodity Credit Corporation and they use 

 them all in supporting corn, wheat, cotton, tobacco, and two or three 

 other commodities, that all of the other producers in this Nation should 

 be left without hope of any kind of protection ? 



Mr. Kjline. Xo, indeed. 



Mr. Pace. When you place upon the Secretary the right to turn 

 you down because he saj^s, "I think I am going to need all the funds 

 I have on the wheat program or the cotton program," then you have 

 left the producers across this land without any hope at all? 



Mr. Kline. That certainly is not our intention. We shall try 

 to get from the Congress the kind of cooperation on this point which 

 would make possible a reasonable attention to these limitations. 



Mr. Pace. Thank you, Mr. Kline; but the thing that disturbs me 

 is that you are here this afternoon putting your stamp of approval 

 on the thing now, as is, to go into effect on the 1st day of January. 



Mr. Kline. If the Commodity Credit Corporation ran out of funds 

 in the normal application of the provisions of the act, we should be 

 the first to insist that it ought to be able to carry them out : that the 

 limitation on funds should no be made a qualification or limitation. 



Mr. Pace. If these commodities that I have mentioned — grains, 

 cotton, and so forth — take up a great percentage of the support funds, 

 do you not think Congress should make some provision to see that 



91215 — 49 — ser. r, pt. 3 10 



