GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 669 



Mr. PoAGE. I do not understand that the present law gives any con- 

 sideration to the person's historical base. I know it does not for 

 cotton. Here is what the law says in respect to wheat: 



The allotment to the county shall be apportioned by the Secretary through local 

 committees, among the farmers within the county on the basis of the tillable acre- 

 age, crop rotation practice — • 



and so on. There is not a word in there about apportionment to the 

 individual farmer on the basis of what he plaated. 



Mr. CooLEY. The crop-rotation basis. 



Mr. PoAGE. That refers to these practices, summer fallowing of 

 the land aud so forth. And what that means is that summer fallow- 

 ing can be considered the same as the land that he puts in crops. 



Mr. CooLEY. Yes. 



Mr. PoAGE. In establishing a base for everybody in the county; 

 they are given the same kind of treatment, rather than saying that 

 the man who grows wheat, who plants all his land in wheat every year 

 is going to get a larger base acreage than the man who has not con- 

 tributed to the surplus in the past, and I think that is a fair proposition. 



I think many of us are confused because there have been so many 

 changes, and it has been so long since we had allotments. In 1939 

 we changed the system; prior to 1939 we did depend, both in cotton 

 and wheat, on the personal history, but we had 3 years, I believe it 

 was 1939, 1940, and 1941 under the new system, but in 1935, 1936, 

 and maybe 1938, we had the individual historical base. Is that not 

 about the situation? And, do you not think that the county average 

 is a fairer proposition than to try to give each individual an allotment 

 base on the previous history? 



Mr. KupER. Well, I think that would be fau'. The main thing I 

 would like to point out 



Mr. PoAGE. That has been the law for 10 years? 



Mr. KuPER. Yes. 



Mr. PoAGE. That is still the law and has been the law for 10 years, 

 and we have not had allotments, and we have not thought too much 

 about it. 



Now, it seems that the greatest problem in your area — what section 

 of the State? 



Mr. KuPER. In Dallam County. 



Mr. PoAGE. In Dallam County you do not grow cotton? 



Mr. KuPER. No. 



Mr. PoAGE. Wlien you get farther south, and on the eastern side 

 of Mr. Worley's congressional district, you run into places where a 

 man may grow both wheat and cotton. And it seems to me that is 

 where the real problem will come of allocating the land, where a man 

 who has a section of land, for instance, and the allotment for wheat is 

 40 percent and the allotment for cotton, we will say, will be 30. In 

 other words, he has 30 percent in cotton and 40 percent in wheat, of 

 his section of land, where he has been planting both cotton and wheat, 

 and it is in those counties, it seems to me, where they over! an t>at v^n 

 will run into difficulty. 



Mr. KuPER. Yes. 



Mr. WoRLEY. Among others. 



Mr. Pace. If there are no further questions we thank you, Mr. 

 Kuper. 



91215 — 49 — ser. s, pt. 4 4 



