760 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



production in the face of this pohcy. If the Government or the 

 people continue to estabhsh poKcies which hmit the use of the grass 

 that grows on our vast western areas, all we can say is they will have 

 to do with a much reduced sheep industry. 



But we did not come here to lament the past. Nor have we come 

 primarily to criticize the Government for doing the things which I have 

 just related. Please believe this to be a truly impartial, nonpolitical 

 and factual listing of the pertinent deterrents to our industry expan- 

 sion. All of these changes have been the result of a new philosophy 

 of the relation of individuals to Government, the exact effect of which 

 no one yet knows. Many wool growers in the past did not support 

 these changed philosophies from the standpoint of practical use of 

 national resources. May do not now, and it is furthest from our 

 thought to issue anything in the nature of an ultimatum. But, since 

 we are closest to the situation and feel that we understand the tem- 

 perament of those who could be looked to for increased sheep produc- 

 tion, we beg leave to say that your committee by its attitude toward 

 and action on the long range sheep program will determine what 

 sort of a sheep industry we as producers will be able to develop in 

 the future. 



Let me now list the principles on which we find ourselves in agree- 

 ment with the Secretary of Agriculture in his announcement of April 7. 

 We believe there is plenty of mutual ground on which to build a 

 workable program for an expanding sheep industry. 



We agree that agriculture and especially livestock agriculture must 

 be a partner in the making of any worth-while prosperty (p. 31). 



We agree that a large livestock population constitutes a reserve 

 strength for our country (p. 9). 



We agree that American business depends on agriculture for raw 

 m.aterials and business is starved if farm production goes down (p. 7). 



We agree that as long as the current international trade relations 

 are continued. Government must have some authority to support 

 important commodities and meet national emergencies (p. 19). 



We agree that such programs should be planned to cope with 

 problems currently in sight (p. 3). 



We agree that price supports now appear as the farmer's and live- 

 stocks man's only equivalent of the laboring man's minimum wage, 

 social security and collective bargaining arrangements (p. 11). This is 

 especially true in our industry because the minimum wages, social 

 security and collective bargaining arrangements of business actually 

 establish for us, directly or indirectly and without recourse by us, the 

 cost of the items of labor, feed and technical supplies which our indus- 

 try required. 



And we agree that Congress should determine at least in general 

 what products should be supported as well as at what approximate 

 level the support should be. But we think that the details of support 

 technique can be most practically set up by conferences of Department 

 of Agriculture officials appointed to administer the particular program, 

 with representatives of the industries involved. 



Now, in spite of those areas of general agreement which we think 

 are broad enough to cover actions that would increase sheep produc- 

 tion in the United States, we see nothing in the Secretary's statement 

 of April 7 or in his subsequent remarks before this committee that is 

 definite enough to encourage livestockmen to grow more slieep. 



