1172 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



above the support price today. Why don't we have the first try-out 

 on that; why don't we try this out on wheat first? 



Secretary Brannan. Because wheat is a storable commodity, and 

 we can put it in good and adequate storage, I hope, next year, and not 

 be required to have to deal with it in the same fashion as we are some 

 of the nonstorables. I am not saying to you that some day the 

 committee might not want to look at that problem, but that is one 

 which we are not suggesting for consideration at all. Let us deal with 

 the problems we think we are confronted with and for which we do not 

 have adequate opportunities to handle. 



Now, if the President signs the Commodity Credit Corporation 

 bill, we hope we will be able to step into the wheat situation and rectify 

 the low price or at least restore it to the support level, or, to put it 

 another way, give the farmer the type of protection to which the statute 

 said he was entitled. 



Mr. Murray. Regardless of what the present program costs in 

 connection with meat animals in the United States, properly 

 administered, it will be infinitesimal compared to the amount of 

 public funds poured out for bad or good reasons, of the billion dollars 

 that indirectly came out of the taxpayers' in connection with the 

 wheat program last year and the half a billion in connection with 

 cotton. And I do not see why everyone seems to want to get after 

 the livestock industry. I should think there is one industry that has 

 carried its own load in American agriculture and has been discriminated 

 against the last 15 years. 



Secretary Brannan. All I have to say to you is that if the price of 

 hogs goes below $16.50, the support level in October, what do you say 

 the Department of Agriculture shall do? 



Mr. Murray. That is a good question. 



Secretary Brannan. That is the one we have been talking about for 

 2 days. 



Mr. Murray. I will give you the answer to that one, and that is, 

 first of all, section 32 funds are buying a lot of cotton and then we 

 import $5,000,000 worth of apples and export $4,000,000 and spend 

 a million dollars trying to get rid of our surplus apples. I would check 

 over section 32 funds and spend a dollar or two on meat. In 1948 you 

 never spent a dollar on meat products, as I have ever found, in operat- 

 ing under section 32. There is no reason why it would be sacrilegious 

 to use a little of section 32 funds for meat. The goal was 60,000,000 

 hogs for 1949, and only 50,000,000 for 1948. The hog farmers 

 produced only 101 percent of the goal in 1948. 



Secretary Brannan. Let us say we spent all of section 32 funds — 

 and you know there are statutory limitations against that — — 



Mr. Murray. Yes. 



Secretary Brannan. Let us say we spent them all on meat. Then 

 what would we do? 



Mr. Murray. There would be $147,000,000, and I do not imagine 

 you can use over 25 percent under the law; but, at least, assume you 

 used them all. There would be that much less for the market to 

 take. 



Secretary Brannan. Let us say we spent all we can under section 32. 

 Now what would you do? 



Mr. Murray. No. 2 is I would take off export controls that are 

 going to expire on June 30, anyway. 



