536 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



availabilit}' of needed funds. There would be no reckless taxation. 

 Agriculture Avould be relying on a well recognized beneficial business 

 practice rather than charity. We urge that your committee give care- 

 ful consideration to price insurance as an alternative means to cash 

 subsidies. 



It will be noted that we have proposed granting wide administrative 

 discretion to a Board, or to the Secretarj^ with the advice and approval 

 of a Board. The problems to be met are so varied that we believe 

 much must be left to administrative discretion, for we concur with the 

 Secretary that "any single formula works some maladjustments." 

 However, in doing so, the Con,gress should set forth the objectives it 

 seeks to attain, and the Board should be limited in its action to carry- 

 ing out the policies laid down by the Congress in attaining the objec- 

 tives. We. therefore, believe it essential to provide a section of the act 

 defining the policies and objectives which the Congress desires to see 

 carried out. 



The difficulties of developing adequate wording for such a section 

 are such that we hesitate to make suggestions. However, it is our 

 aim to help where we can, and with the explanation that we feel the 

 following is far from a finished product, we submit the following sug- 

 gestions for whatever they may be worth. 

 It is the purpose of the Congress — 



(a) to aid in the development of a well-balanced stable national 

 economy best designed to promote maximum employment and 

 maximum production and widespread distribution of crops and 

 industrial products in the quantities, form, and location calculated 

 to serve the best interests of all the people ; ( & ) to promote a system 

 of agriculture, industry, commerce, and trade calculated to pro- 

 vide equal opportunities for all to employ their energies and tal- 

 ents as they see fit without interference with the rights or oppor- 

 tunities of others ; 



(c) to ])romote foreign trade on a basis mutually helpful both 

 to producers and consumers of the interested nations ; 



(d) to attain reasonable stability in price of farm crops at 

 levels which will return to producers income commensurate with 

 their service in a well-balanced free economy ; 



(e) to provide ample i-eserves of raw materials to meet tenta- 

 tive unusual demands; 



(/) to conserve our resources of soil, water, timber, game, and 

 other resources and to store maximum fertility in our soil ; 



(g) to promote efficient practices in production, processing, 

 and marketing of our crops, timber, and fish resources; 



(h) to assist in making available practical and adequate in- 

 surance of crop production and price on a sound basis ; 



(^) to promote the family-sized farm and farmer-owner oper- 

 ation ; 



(j) and to assist in developing agriculture on a sound, pros- 

 perous, self-supporting basis. 

 We recommend a section authorizing the Board, or the Secretary 

 with the approval of the Board, to use any of tl^.e devices of the act, 

 or those existing other acts, to attain the purposes set forth, using 

 them in such an order of preference, as far as practicable, as will 

 make first use of the self-supporting measures i-equiring the least 



