GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 919 



Mr. Murray. That is right. I do not want it to appear that I am 

 critical and that they are not trying to work that out. They have 

 been handicapped by certain forces and I reahze that. I am getting 

 to the point now where I want to see this law followed out. I want to 

 see them do what it says for them to do, on the books, and I do not 

 want to hear anything more about future plans until we can get that 

 one done. 



Mr. Andresen. I want to say this for the men in the Department 

 who are working with the dairy problem, they are doing a good job, 

 but they are always the ones who make the final decision. They have 

 to have their recommendations approved by higher-ups. If any of 

 them are here today I want them to know that they are trying to do a 

 good job. 



Mr. Pace. Mr. Holman, I am very much interested in knowing 

 where you finally land on the Agricultural Act of 1948. You state 

 in your statement on page 7 that at this time you thought milk should 

 be supported at 100 percent of parity. What is the significance of the 

 words "at this time"? 



Mr. Holman. That is because the terms and conditions of milk 

 handling and milk costs are such that what would be adequate for 

 farm commodities at a support price of 90 percent would not be any 

 too good for milk to start with. 



Mr. Pace. Do you mean that you would give 100 percent until the 

 parity figure is adjusted? 



Mr. Holman. I would say 100 percent probably until production 

 came up to where you have to reduce your guaranty. 



Mr. Pace. Do you recommend that the Aiken bill be amended to 

 that extent? 



Mr. Holman. Yes. 



Mr. Pace. Where you have support only in the discretion of Agri- 

 culture now, from to 90, you would recommend that it be arranged 

 to give milk 100-percent parity support? 



Mr. Holman. We make that recommendation. We will take what 

 we can get. 



Mr. Pace. You also recommend that the bottom to the flexible 

 program be 75 percent of parity. 



Mr. Holman. Yes. 



Mr. Pace. Do you mean that should apply to all these general 

 commodities that are treated within the Aiken bill outside of the 

 so-called basics? 



Mr. Holman. It had reference only to milk and its commodities. 

 The reason for that, Mr. Pace, is that even in our distress in the 

 1930's where we had stabilization operation, 75 percent of parity was 

 the minimum that was asked for or used by the Department of 

 Agriculture. 



Mr. Pace. I agree with you on the 75 percent, but do you not 

 appreciate the fact that every other commodity would have a similar 

 interest in raising the bottom to 75 percent? 



Mr. Holman. I know that, and I have a great deal of sympathy 

 for the position of some of them, too. 



Mr. Pace. You would not confine your statement merely to milk 

 if the other commodities have a similar interest; you would be willing 

 to go along with them? 



Mr. Holman. Of course, I was referring only to what we meant. 



