618 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



Mr. Davis. Xo; we have talked with some people in the Bureau of 

 Aofricultural Economics about the cost of some of them, but I do not 

 think we have any figures that amount to much. 



Mr. AxDRESEX. All of these programs cost money. I think the Sec- 

 retary's latest proposal, unless he has modified it again, would cost a 

 whole lot more because there you still do continue the suppoi't-loan 

 program on the basic commodities and you get into all these other 

 commodities. If they are all going to be taken care of it will cost a 

 tremendous amount of money. I know that you, representing a large 

 group of producers, know that the farm-commodity prices have 

 dropped considerably in the last 6 months. The farmers will not* pay 

 as much- taxes for 1049 as for 194-8. That is Irue vrith business in 

 general. 



The only way the Government can meet all these commitments that 

 we have made all over the world is to collect more taxes or sell more 

 bonds. If you sell more bonds that is just deferred taxation. It looks 

 to me as though some of our good businessmen and good farmers and 

 farm organizations ought to figure out how we are going to protect 

 the financial stability of the country and enable it to keep going. 



You mentioned something about the Department of Agriculture 

 not having done enough in the marketing field. Well, what are your 

 organizations doing about that, anything? 



Mr. Davis. Our organization is made up of about TO percent of mar- 

 keting institutions which the farmers own. 



Mr. AxDRESEN. Do Kraft & Co. belong to your organization? 



Mr. Davis. No; they are not farmer-owned. 



Mr. AxDRESEx. Look at oleo. The oleo industry had large $*20,000 

 page ads in the Saturday Evening Post, trying to create a consumer 

 appeal to produce more oleo and sell it to the people. I wish some of 

 our farmer organizations would get together to try to create a con- 

 sumer appeal. 



Mr. Davis. I think that is very much needed and I do not think 

 we have gone nearly as far as we can go. There are a few commodi- 

 ties that have done an outstanding job. 



Mr. AxDRESEN". You are not relying entirely on the Government to 

 do it for you, are you ? 



Mr. Davis. Xo; we would like to minimize the amount the Govern- 

 ment has to do. 



Mr. Andresex. I had hoped that would be your answer. The more 

 the Government gets into your business, the harder it is going to be 

 for you to do business. As I see some of the proposals that we have 

 before our committee, the farmers of the country will eventually 

 come under complete control of the Federal Government and become 

 dependent ui:)on the Government for their livelihood if these plans 

 go into operation. If that is ]iot regimentation, I do not know what 

 regimentatio7i is. 



As to regimentation, if it is as bad as they have in some of the other 

 countries of the world, we do not want it here. It looks to me as 

 though some of our very good organizations — and I admire the 

 work that you are doing — ought to get together and think out who is 

 going to pay the bill and how they are going to raise the money. 



Mr. Davis. That is certainly true. As I see the situation, it is one 

 where the full answer is going to have to evolve. I think we are 



