GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 681 



Mr. Hope. Has the recommendation been made and agreed upon 

 in the Department on matters hke the number of years to be used in 

 determining the base in the States and counties; have you agreed 

 upon those matters? 



Mr. WooLLEY. That is something we are working on. We have 

 the recommendation of the State people, and we have got various 

 commodity people working on that problem right now. 



Mr. Hope. It is certainly desirable that we have something very 

 shortly if we are going to make any changes affecting the 1950 crop. 



Mr. WooLLEY. Yes, that is correct. As I say, we have been driving 

 hard trying to complete it in order to give you the complete story, 

 and we were under the erroneous assumption that that was what the 

 committee wanted. 



Mr. Hope. Is there a difference of opinion in the Department on 

 the recommendations as to the number of j^ears that would constitute 

 the best base for acreage and allotment quotas, and also on the ques- 

 tion of summer fallowing? Is the Department divided on those 

 matters? 



Mr. Woolley. There is always a certain amount of difference of 

 opinion between various groups in particular commodities, as far as 

 that is concerned, with respect to what they would like to do con- 

 cerning the commodity in which they are interested, and they would 

 like to see the other commodities, insofar as possible, go along on the 

 same basis. That is where we are right now, trying to reconcile the 

 different commodity groups with respect to that, as well as the BAE 

 and the Solicitor's Office. 



Mr. Hope. Suppose that Congress should make changes^suppose 

 that Congress should make changes in that law, relating to the years 

 which would be used for the base and relating to the allotment of 

 acreage in the county to individual farmers, what is the latest date 

 that legislation will have to become law in order for you to put it in 

 effect, with reference to the crop of wheat that will be planted this fall? 



Mr. Woolley. Well, as a matter of fact, that is the point I just 

 mentioned. Actually the law ought to be on the statute books right 

 now. 



Mr. Hope. Yes. 



Mr. Woolley. There is a great deal of work that must be done, 

 has to be done in implementing any law. The changes have to be 

 passed on down tlu'ough the States, down tlu-ough the counties and 

 they must make determinations as to the individual farms, and 

 notify the farmers of their allotted acreage, and all that sort of thing. 

 There is a tremendous amount of time and work that has to be done, 

 just in the nature of things. And as I pointed out, unless something 

 is done very soon, we think we will probably have to live with what 

 we have for 1950 just purely from the standpoint of the mechanics of 

 the operation. 



Mr. Hope. You say very soon. What is the latest date that we 

 can pass a law to make it effective? 



Mr. Woolley. As I say, I think it ought to be done right now. 



Mr. Hope. Could we pass legislation affecting the wheat program 

 as of this date which could be put into effect as far as the 1950 crop is 

 concerned? 



Mr. Woolley. Of course we would try; if you did it any time 

 between now and July 1, we would do our very level best to put it into 



