TESTIMONY OF PEODUCEE GEOUPS AND 

 MEMBEES OF CONGEESS 



MONDAY, MAY 2, 1949 



House of Representatives, 

 Special Subcommittee of the 



Committee on Agriculture, 



Washington, D. C. 

 The special subcommittee of the House Committee on Agriculture 

 met at 10 a. m.. Hon. Stephen Pace (chairman) presiding. 



Mr. Pace. The committee will pleasp come to order. It is our 

 pleasure this morning to hear from representatives of the livestock 

 industry. 



I have been supplied with a list of witnesses in the order in which 

 they will appear. I understand that the list has been worked out by 

 the groups themselves. 



We will hear from Mr. Howard Vaughn, president of the National 

 Wool Growers Association, Dixon, Calif. 



STATEMENT OF HOWARD VAUGHN, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL 

 WOOL GROWERS ASSOCIATION 



Mr. Vaughn. Mr. Chairman, the wool growers of the United 

 States appreciate this opportunity to sit in on the discussions aimed at 

 the development of a proper livestock program for our Government. 

 For we wish to be considered as citizens first and wool growers after- 

 ward. During the past 10 years a drop of 40 percent in sheep produc- 

 tion in this country is indisputable evidence that sheepmen can and 

 will do something else when sheep growing becomes economically 

 untenable. You must agree that the very nature of our business has 

 made us not only independent in thought but vocationally versatile. 



We do not present ourselves here today to say to you that unless a 

 change in economic prospect and Government attitude is accomplished 

 soon this country will presently find itself with no wool-producing 

 industry worth practical consideration. We do now contend, as we 

 have on numerous occasions in the last 5 years that Government 

 should take a stand on the wool-producing industry and then hold 

 to its position. We are sure that the greatest single factor contribut- 

 ing to the reduction in numbers of United States sheep has been the 

 recent vaccilating attitade of government on matters fundamental to 

 profitable wool production. This attitude convinces possible new 

 producers that some other industry would yield surer returns. 



In this discussion we propose: 



First. To establish the position in which the wool growing industry 

 now finds itself. 



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