GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 989 



Mr. Richards. Not compensatory payments. This is 60 percent 

 of parity up until the 1st of March. That embraces the lower grades 

 of potatoes and anyone who chooses to market his No. 1 grades can 

 market them as the Hope-Aiken Act now provides. 



But some of the growers will not produce very many lower grades 

 of potatoes and they may have a few more in proportion. In order 

 to clean up the stocks at the end of the year, instead of using com- 

 pensatory payments, as Mr. Case suggested, we would like to increase 

 the parity at that time to clean up the remaining stocks. 



Mr. Hardy. When you do that you do it for the noncompliers as 

 well as the compilers. 



Mr. Richards. No, the support only pertains in the first place to 

 the compilers. 



Mr. Hardy. That is true but it gives you an indirect support for 

 the fellow who does not comply. 



Mr. Richards. He would have to wait until that time or the 

 market would eventually seek its normal level. He would have to 

 wait until the latter part of the season before that would obtain. 



Mr. Hardy. He would get it then. 



Mr. Richards. That is possible if he wanted to take a chance on 

 holding his crop until that time, but he w^ould not participate in the 

 support. He would have to take his chances on the market and if 

 the market stayed down he would have to dump them then at what- 

 ever price he could get. 



Mr. CooLEY. I would like to ask one question of Mr. Wescott. 

 Coming back to the recommendations which you submitted to the 

 committee, even if the 1948 program is to go into effect in 1950, you 

 and the people whom you represent still insist that a definite formula 

 be provided in the making of acreage allotments, do you not? 



Mr. Wescott. Yes, sir. We agree to that recommendation as was 

 presented by the council, which is the same recommendation we made 

 this morning. 



Mr. CooLEY. I say even if we make no other change in the law you 

 still think w^e should make that. 



Mr. Wescott. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Cooley. And that removes a cloud of uncertainty from this 

 potato situation? 



Mr. Wescott. Yes, sir. 



Mr. CooLEY. And you think the recommendation you made is fair? 



Mr. Wescott. Yes, sir. 



Mr. CooLEY. Mr. Chairman, I would like to suggest again that 

 this is an important matter. It is important not only to the people 

 here but to the tens of thousands who are not here. I think you 

 gentlemen who are the leaders in the industry should be impressed 

 with the importance of this matter and cooperate with the sub- 

 committee and make up your minds with 15 days and come back 

 here with something definite. You may consider these things we 

 talked about. 



I do not know that marketing quotas will work on potatoes. When 

 I first came to Congress years ago we perfected a potato bill and we 

 realized we had a lot of situations in it that did not obtain with regard 

 to other programs. For instance, there would be the policing and en- 

 forcing. So we repealed it. I do not know whether or not it is 

 feasible but I think you should be considering it. 



