GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 611 



tlie choice between that and destroying the farmer, and that is all that 

 the Aiken bill gives him. 



Mr, Davis. Let me comment about our position just a minute. We 

 are not, as I stated earlier, supporting every provision in the Aiken 

 bill, but we think there are some provisions that are all right. 



Mr. PoAGE. But you do endorse the philosophy of the Aiken bill ? 



Mr. Davis. We like the philosophy of a certain amount of flexi- 

 bility. 



Mr. PoAGE. You do not have flexibility if you have got the prin- 

 ciple that we are talking about, the policy of starving the farmers 

 to death in order to cut production. 



Mr. Hope. The Secretary can establish 90 percent of parity. 



Mr. PoAGE. As a matter of fact, would you favor giving the Secre- 

 tary that power ; would you favor placing that power in the hands of 

 Stephen Pace, Clifford Hope. Poage. or any other individual? 



Mr. Hope. The bill which the Secretary — he has not set it up as 

 ^et, I believe — but the proposal calls for some flexibility. 



Mr. Poage. The power is placed in the Secretary, by either the 

 Brannan or the Aiken bill. 



Mr. Hope. Let me go a little further before I answer the question, 

 and say that the Steagall amendment also provides flexibility. 



Mr. Poage. It related to certain named commodities, those that were 

 found to be needed in the prosecution of the war. I do not object 

 to a certain amount of flexibility during the war, but I do not like 

 it as a permanent diet. 



Mr. Hope. The Trij^le A Act of 1938, which has been on the books 

 for longer than any other agricultural act. provides flexibility, and does 

 not even set up a yardstick for the Secretary, except in the case of 

 corn; in the case of corn it had a formula very much like the one in 

 the Aiken bill. But for the otlier basic commodities, it simply pro- 

 vides that the price should be supported at 75 percent of parity, and 

 the provision in the Aiken bill is 



Mr. Poage (interposing). The gentleman will recall that the Sec- 

 retary had to support the basic commodities at 90 percent of parity, 

 whenever 



Mr, Hope. During the war ? 



Mr. Poage, Yes. 



Mr, Hope, And it was amended, on a temporary basis, and that 

 expired on the 31st of last December, but we did not change the basic 

 Triple A Act of 1938 containing the flexibility provision. 



Mr. Poage. We supported the Hope part of the bill indicating a 

 definite policy of the Congress to say at what figure it should be sup- 

 ported, and I think Ave were right in doing that, and I agree that you 

 were right. 



Mr. Hope. Of cotirse, we have got down to 



INIr. Andresen (interposing). Mr. Chairman, off the record. 



(Off record discussion.) 



Mr. Pace. Gentlemen, we will proceed in order. 



Mr. Hope. Let me say this : I do not want my position to be mis- 

 interpreted. I am quite in agreement with what Mr. Poage has said 

 about the probability that you will not get shifts in production by sim- 

 ply moving the suppoi't price up and doAvn, especially when you have 



91215 — 49 — ser. r, pt. 3 17 



