1052 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



is denied a proper recognition, these tung growers representing an 

 investment of millions of dollars, will be abandoned, and thousands 

 of people will be out of work. It will be impossible for the schools to 

 operate efficiently and properly, and many will have to be closed. 

 The roads will have inadequate or no financial support, and there will 

 be no funds for health programs. The people will be thrown on the 

 charity of government agencies or welfare organizations. 



Tung nuts have proven to be the only suitable crop that can be 

 grown on the type of soil that exists where the long-leaf yellow pine 

 once grew. Other crops have been tried, peaches and satsuma 

 oranges, but they have failed, due to the fact they were not suitable 

 to be grown in that area. 



I would like to ask you what would be left for the people in that 

 section w^here tung is grown if they are denied a livelihood from an 

 industry that can thrive on a profitable basis for years to come if it is 

 given the support by our Government during these initial years of the 

 industry. 



During the period of World War II the tung industry became one of 

 the two or three most important cash crops to the farmers who grew 

 this tung tree in the area of its adaptability. It also added substan- 

 tially to the economic welfare of many hundreds of communities 

 located in the domestic Tung Belt by adding greatly to their purchas- 

 ing power. 



As proof of the benefit which the tung industry has been to this 

 section, we are submitting in our brief photostatic copies of editorials 

 appearing in several newspapers published in the Tung Belt. 



During World War II tung oil proved to be a very valuable and 

 strategic war material for the United States. The only source of 

 supply of this strategic oil on which our country had to depend was the 

 domestic source of supply. Recent developments make it imperative 

 that American production be fostered and preserved, because foreign 

 supplies, for example in China, may be dominated by enemies of the 

 United States. It takes 4 to 6 years to develop a tung grove, and 

 therefore it would be impossible to immediately supply the need of 

 tung oil to the armed forces if the domestic industry is now allowed to 

 perish. 



The United States policy presently is one of self-sufficiency in regard 

 to strategic materials. As an example of that, you have the Govern- 

 ment now cooperating with the steel industry to establish a supply 

 of manganese in Africa, rather than go to the supply depot of India, 

 because they are not so sure that they could obtain that manganese 

 from India in time of need. 



The domestic production of tung oU is currently only 15 percent of 

 our yearly consumption. So you see that the amount of oil that would 

 be available in time of war would just about consume the domestic 

 supply. 



Mr. Granger. 15 percent of what? 

 Mr. O'Connor. Of the American consumption. 

 Mr. Granger. Of oil? 

 Mr. O'Connor. Yes. 

 Mr. Granger. Not just tung oil. 



Mr. O'Connor. No, tung oil. The domestic production of tung 

 oil is currently only about 15 percent of the American consumption. 

 In other words, the other 85 percent is imported from foreign sources, 

 but mostly China. 



