GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 977 



Mr. Pace. Those who conform to the marketing agreement would 

 get the benefit of the support price and those who did not would be 

 unable to market any Irish potatoes. That is very simple. You 

 just do not sell any Irish potatoes. 



Mr. Case. I grant it woukl be effective. 



Mr. Pace. Let me add this, and I want it said before these people 

 leave here: I do not believe the advantage you have over practically 

 every other similar commodity in the United States is fully under- 

 stood. Irish potatoes — and I want everybody to understand this — 

 is the only perishable commodity produced in the United States 

 which has a compulsory support price. The law expressly says that 

 the Secretary of Agriculture is not obligated to support any perishable 

 commodity. He is not compelled to support cattle, one of the greatest 

 industries of this Nation. He is not compelled to support dairy 

 products, one of the greatest industries of this Nation. He is not com- 

 pelled to support dairy products, and I presume that dauy products 

 have a greater production than that of Irish potatoes in this country. 

 I assume that cattle and hogs have greater production than Irish 

 potatoes. 



You can take the whole list of about a hundred perishable com- 

 modities. Under this act you are the only group that has a com- 

 pulsory support-price program where the Secretary must support 

 you at 60 percent of parity. 



The Members of Congress, as a body, represent every agricultm'al 

 producer in this Nation. I think it should be said here, because the 

 hour of frankness has come, that I do not believe that Congress is 

 long going to retain this provision in the law giving Irish potatoes 

 such single, special, choice treatment unless the Irish potato producers 

 are willing themselves to formidate a program to see that it does not 

 cost the Government millions and millions of dollars. I cannot do 

 it, and this committee cannot do it; the Congress has to do it. 



I make this prediction: You are either going to bring this Irish 

 potato production in line or this provision is going to be taken out of 

 the law. I do not think there is any doubt about it. I think it 

 ought to be understood. You just cannot, if you will permit such a 

 trite expression, have your cake and eat it, too. You have special 

 treatment. You have treatment that no other single perishable 

 commodity has. If you appreciate that, then you had better get 

 together and agree upon a program, in my judgment. I, for one, 

 think that the Government ought to give you a support price, but I, 

 for one, also think that you shoidd be willing to fall in line and con- 

 form to reasonable limitations on production, and if you have 15 or 

 20 percent who wall not do so, then if you want the program, you had 

 better make them do it. That is the situation as I see it. 



Mr. Case. Mr. Chairman, the potato industry is deeply apprecia- 

 tive of the position we have. I submit again that 1 year ago, again 

 in November, and again today, we voluntarily asked for restrictions, 

 even in the report 1 have just read to you and m the statement we 

 filed with you. 



Mr. Pace. I say again, Mr. Case, you asked for restrictions that 

 do not restrict. You asked for a support price. Yet you let a man 

 produce without limit and enjoy 99 percent of this support price. 



Mr. Case. In the recommendations we have made, we believe we 

 have asked for restrictions that will restrict. 



Mr. Pace. In acreage controls and goals? 



