950 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



crops put US out of business, where potatoes are one of the few crops 

 that the soil and weather and other conditions will permit us to raise? 

 And what do you say, definitely, about this new territory? 



Mr. Case. The acreage goal will be allotted to the State. The 

 State will be allotted its proportion of the national goal based on past 

 history, with a slight reserve held back to take care of new growers or 

 new areas, but certainly no unlimited right to go ahead. 



Mr. Cotton. You mean with recent past history? 



Mr. Case. I presume so; yes, sir. 



Mr. Pace. They suggested 7 years. 



Mr. Cotton. That certainly takes in this tremendous element 

 that this price-support program has brought about, does it not? 



Mr. Case. That is right. I can make this statement, that the 

 National Potato Council did approve of having a formula spelled out 

 in the law, but the National Potato Council did not discuss and has 

 not given its approval to any specific formula. I would like to get 

 that clear. 



Mr. PoAGE. About that formula, is it my understanding that the 

 formula you gentlemen propose intends to give the man who over- 

 planted, that is, who exceeded his goal, credit for 50 percent of his 

 overplanting? Is that the effect of your formula? That is the way 

 I understand it. 



Mr. Wescott. We proposed that formula, Mr. Poage. In reality, 

 it proposes to give about 25 percent. 



Mr. Poage. You mean because you have not had a 4 years' goal? 



Mr. Wescott. No, sir. You take the 7 years of planting. That is 

 given 50 percent weight. Then you take your goal years — we have 

 not had but four — and give that 50 percent weight. 



Mr. Poage. That is the reason you say you do not give him credit? 



Mr. Wescott. You do not give him full credit. 



Mr. Poage. But you would give him full credit by the time he 

 had had 7 years of goals? 



Mr. Wescott. That would answer Congressman Hill's question as 

 to the man who is not in the potato business. If he wants to go in 

 the potato business, he can go in and plant at the goals until he 

 establishes himself and secure price support. 



Mr. Poage. Is not that an extremely dangerous policy, one that 

 has never been followed in the other controlled ci'ops? AVlien a man 

 plants cotton, he does not get a thing in the world in the way of 

 credit for planting in excess of his allotment. 



Mr. Wescott. You do with tobacco. 



Mr. Cooley. You do with tobacco. You plant tobacco and pay 

 the penalty on your overplanting. 



Mr. Poage. You pay a penalty of 50 percent, but there is no penalty 

 on this. If I understand your proposal, I could have a goal of 10 

 acres of potatoes and I could have been planting 110 acres for the last 

 4 years and be getting credit for 50 extra acres. 



Mr. Wescott. You would be getting credit for the part that 

 historically in the past you had planted. 



Mr. Poage. I want to know the philosophy of it. Wliy do you 

 reward the man who violates your program and who, by his efforts, has 

 contributed as far as he could to breaking down your program? 



