GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 787 



Mr. Wilson. Mr. Alurray, I think in the resolution we make it very 

 clear that we are opposed to it. This is the lesser of two evils. 



Mr. Pace. Right there, Mr. Wilson, pleass understand that the 

 flexibility in the Aiken bill applies only to cotton, corn, wheat, rice, 

 tobacco, and peanuts. There is no flexibility as to livestock. It is 

 entirely within the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture. Con- 

 sequently, when you appeal for flexibility on livestock under the Aiken 

 bill, there is no basis for that appeal. 



Mr. Wilson. Mr. Pace, we are not app'aliig for that. We recog- 

 nize with the temper of Congress and the a Iministration you are 

 going to force some of this on. We are ask ng that it be made as 

 painless as possible. 



Mr. Pace. Just being realistic. 



Mr. Wilson. Being realistic, and we ask in each step that you take 

 from here on out you try to minimize it. 



Mr. Granger. I did not hear your statement to begin with, Mr. 

 Wilson. Do you belong to the same organization that Mr. Smith 

 belongs to? 



Mr. Wilson. No ; I do not. 



Mr. Granger. What is the National Livestock Producers' Organ- 

 ization? 



Mr. Wilson. The National Livestock Producers' Organization is a 

 service organization for livestock producers, handling the sale of live- 

 stock on the markets of this country. It is a cooperative organization 

 handling the sale of livestock produced by its members on 62 markets 

 of the country. 



Mr. Granger. It is a cooperative? 



Mr. Wilson. It is a cooperative owned and controlled by some 

 450,000 farmers and ranchers. 



Mr. Granger. They only deal in then- own lines? 



Mr. Wilson. That is right. 



Mr. Granger. They own livestock? 



Mr. Wilson. That is right. 



Mr. Pace. Your organization is interested in hogs, is it not? 



Mr. Wilson. That is right. 



Mr. Pace. The Secretary of Agriculture has already announced the 

 support price for hogs. What do your members suggest as a way for 

 the Secretary to carrj^ out that commitment? 



Mr. Wilson. We had some experience with that during the war 

 days. We had some support when the price dropped below the sup- 

 port. There was more skulduggery carried on in the country at that 

 period of time than almost any other period of time. 



Mr. Pace. I know the facts. As a matter of fact, under congres- 

 sional mandate, the Secretary of Agriculture is now announcing a 

 support price for hogs. It is out. It is a Government commitment; 

 a Government guaranty. He is out on that hmb. There are a lot 

 of pigs. Wliat do you propose, representing the hog growers, that 

 the Secretary of Agriculture do to fulfill that commitment? 



Mr. Wilson. He got himself out on a limb and I am going to leave 

 it up to him to find out how to get oft" of it. 



Mr. Pace. We cannot do it; Congress put him out on that limb. 

 We could not leave him out there by himself. As I see it, the Secre- 

 tary could take a shotgun and go out and shoot the surplus hogs in 

 the head and throw them into a ditch. We do not want any more 

 of that, do we? 



