GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 1081 



Mr. PoAGE. Prior to the war, it was far higher than comparable 

 types of wooL 



Mr. Williams. That is right. Ordinarily, on the average, mohair 

 will shi'ink about 15 percent. I imagine that would be about an 

 average. In other words, 100 pounds of mohair would yield about 

 85 pounds of clean hair, whereas wool — these gentlemen might check 

 with me on this, I suppose will slii'ink about 55, as an average, m other 

 words, 45 pounds. 



Mr. PoAGE. You are talking about getting it on a clean base. 



Mr. Williams. Yes, sir. 



Mr. PoAGE. Once you have it on a clean base, then they are much 

 more comparable, but the way the goat lives and the way the sheep 

 Uves, you get a different situation in the fleece that you shear? 



Mr. Fisher. May I interrupt for just one remark? I do not think 

 that would be a particular problem because the Department of Agri- 

 culture statistics which I have here in my hand show regular estab- 

 lished prices over a period of years. You can go back 20 years and 

 see what the price of mohair was each year, and it has always sold in 

 quality as well as the wool is sold in quality, and the exact quality of 

 any particular fleece can be determined the same way as they deter- 

 mine that of wool. 



We can easily determine the average price over a period of years. 



Mr. Poage. Surely you do not recommend to this committee that 

 we support mohair at twice the price of wool, because if we did, we 

 would destroy every vestige of use of mohair, and you would be out 

 of business completely. 



Mr. Fisher. We are not asking for that. 



Mr. Poage. What I am asking is at what comparable figure, where 

 would you put it in relation to wool? We have wool fixed. It is 42.2 

 cents, is it not? 



Mr. Williams. Yes. 



Mr. Poage. We have got wool fixed. Where will you put that 

 mohair? If you put it too far up here, you destroy every bit of use for 

 mohair, and you ultimately put yourself out of business, no matter 

 what the Government does temporarily. If you put it too low, here, 

 you break the grower and you put yourself out of business. Wliere 

 do you want to put it? Do you want to say, mohair today is selling 

 for a little less than wool is, as I understand, do you want to say that 

 mohair should continue at say 20 percent less than wool? Do you 

 want to say that mohair should be supported at the same level with 

 sheep's wool, or do you want to say that mohair, because over the 

 past 20 years it has enjoyed a higher level than wool, should be sup- 

 ported at a level somewhat higher than sheep's wool? I do not know 

 the answer. I am just asking what is the practical thing to do. 



Mr. Fisher. The average price over 10 years for mohair has been 

 53 cents. Parity price at this time is a little better than 66 cents. As 

 to exactly what level is should be supported, I would not undertake 

 to say, but certainly 90 percent of parity would be ample. 



Mr. Poage. If you support it at 90 percent of parity, and I have no 

 objection to giving you that, I think you are entitled to the same kind 

 of treatment anybody else is, except I do not want to pass legislation 

 that legislates you out of business. Suppose we put it at 90 percent of 

 parity, which would be about 58 or 59 cents. 



Mr. Fisher. Yes. 



