Challenge Cream and Butter Association, 929 East Second Street, Los Angeles, Champaign County Milk Producers, 221 North Race Street, Urbana, Ill. Connecticut Milk Producers' Association, 990 Wethersfield Avenue, Hartford, Consolidated Badger Cooperative, Shawano, Wis. Consolidated Milk Producers for San Francisco, 593 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. Cooperative Pure Milk Association of Cincinnati, Plum and Central Parkway, Cincinnati, Ohio. Dairy Cooperative Association, 1313 S. E. Twelfth Avenue, Portland, Oreg. Dairy and Poultry Cooperatives, Inc., 173 Duane Street, New York, N. Y. Dairymen's Cooperative Sales Association, 451 Century Bldg., Pittsburgh, Pa. Dairymen's League Cooperative Association, Inc., 11 West Forty-second Street, New York, N. Y. Des Moines Cooperative Dairy, 1935 Des Moines Street, Des Moines, Iowa. Dubuque Cooperative Dairy Marketing Association, Inc., 1020 Central Avenue, Dubuque, Iowa. Evansville Milk Producers' Association, Inc., Evansville, Ind. Falls Cities Cooperative Milk Producers' Association, 229 Bourbon Stock Yards Bldg., Louisville, Ky. Fox River Valley Cooperative Creamery, R. 1, West De Pere, Wis. Georgia Milk Producers' Confederation, 661 Whitehall Street ¡SW., Atlanta, Ga. Indiana Dairy Marketing Association, Muncie, Ind. Indianapolis Dairymen's Cooperative, Inc., 729 Lemcke Bldg., Indianapolis, Ind. Inland Empire Dairy Association, 1803 West Third Avenue, Spokane, Wash. Interstate Associated Creameries, 1319 S. E. Twelfth Avenue, Portland, Oreg. Inter-State_Milk Producers' Cooperative, Inc., 401 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Knoxville Milk Producers' Association, Knoxville, Tenn. Land O'Lakes Creameries, Inc., 2201 Kennedy Street NE., Minneapolis, Minn. Lehigh Valley Cooperative Farmers, 1026 North Seventh Street, Allentown, Pa. McLean County Milk Producers' Association, 411-413 North Center Street, Bloomington, Ill. Madison Milk Producers' Cooperative Association, 29 Coyne Court, Madison, Wis. Manchester Dairy System, Inc., 226 Second Street, Manchester, N. H. Maryland and Virginia Milk Producers' Association, 1756 K Street NW., Washington, D. C. Maryland Cooperative Milk Producers' Inc., 810 Fidelity Bldg., Baltimore, Md. Miami Home Milk Producers' Association, N. W., Seventh Avenue at Twentyfourth Street, Miami, Fla. Miami Valley Cooperative Milk Producers' Association, 136-138 West Maple Street, Dayton, Ohio. Michigan Milk Producers' Association, 406 Stephenson Building, Detroit, Mich. Mid-South Milk Producers' Association, 22 North Front Street, Memphis, Tenn. Mid-West Producers' Creameries, Inc., 224 West Jefferson Street, South Bend, Ind. Milk Producers' Association of San Diego County, 354 Eleventh Avenue, San Diego, Calif. Milk Producers' Association of Summit County and Vicinity, 194 Carroll Street, Akron, Ohio. Milk Producers Federation of Cleveland, 1012 Webster Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio. Milwaukee Cooperative Milk Producers, 1633 North Thirteenth Street, Milwaukee, Wis. Nebraska-Iowa Non-Stock Cooperative Milk Association, 2506 Dodge Street, Omaha, Nebr. New Bedford Milk Producers Association, Inc., 858 Kempton Street, New Bedford, Mass. New England Dairies, 142 Cambridge Street, Charlestown, Mass. New England Milk Producers' Association, 73 Cornhill, Boston, Mass. Northwestern (Ohio) Cooperative Sales Co., 22211⁄2 Detroit Avenue, Toledo, Ohio. O. K. Cooperative Milk Association, Inc., Oklahoma City, Okla. Peoria Milk Producers, Inc., 216 East State Street, Peoria, Ill. Pure Milk Association, 608 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Ill. Pure Milk Producers' Association, 853 Live Stock Exchange Building, Kansas City, Mo. Pure Milk Products Cooperative, 20 Forest Avenue, Fond du Lac, Wis. Richmond Coop. Milk Producers' Association, 516 Lyric Building, Richmond, Va. St. Joseph, Mo., Milk Producers' Association, Inc., 1024 South Tenth Street, St. Joseph, Mo. Sanitary Milk Producers, Room 609 Chamber of Commerce Building, 511 Locust Street, St. Louis, Mo. Sioux City Milk Producers' Cooperative Association, Inc., 413-14 Warnock Building, Sioux City, Iowa. South Iowa Cooperative Creameries Association, Keosauqua, Iowa. South Texas Producers Association, Inc., 3600 Center Street, Houston, Tex. Stark County Milk Producers' Association, Inc., Canton, Ohio. Tillamook County Creamery Association, Tillamook, Oreg. Twin City Milk Producers' Association, 2402 University Avenue, St. Paul, Minn. Valley of Virginia Cooperative Milk Producers' Association, Harrisonburg, Va. West De Pere Cooperative Creamery Co., West De Pere, Wis. Wisconsin Cheese Producers' Federation Cooperative, Plymouth. Wis. Mr. KNUTSON. At this point, will you put in your remarks approximately the total number you represent? Mr. HOLMAN. Approximately 275,000 to 280,000 dairy farmers residing in 41 States-about half of whom supply the fluid milksheds of the country, and the remainder engaged in selling butterfat or cream for manufacturing purposes by concerns such as the Land O' Lakes creameries of your own State. I would also like to file for the record, Mr. Chairman, four resolutions adopted at the sixth annual meeting of our organization, regarding the policy of the organization. The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, they may be inserted. (The resolutions above referred to are as follows:) RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE NATIONAL COOPERATIVE MILK PRODUCERS' FEDERATION IN CHICAGO, ILL., NOVEMBER 17, 1939 We believe that the present trade-agreement program of the Federal Government as administered by the Department of State, is detrimental to the welfare of agriculture and particularly to the producers of dairy, livestock, and poultry products. The so-called, but misnamed, reciprocal-trade agreements are particularly harmful to the economic interest of dairy farmers; and the progressive reduction of duties on various imported dairy products threatens not only to limit the opportunities for American farmers to find markets in the United States but is setting a maximum possible rate of income for the average dairy farmer far below the needs of such farmers if they are to have anything that approaches a rightful share of the national income. It seems clear to everyone except the Secretary of State and his associates that the prices of dairy products domestically produced can never be higher for any length of time than the international prices plus our tariff wall, and rarely do the domestic prices reach this maximum. We object to being traded down the river for the benefit of a few large industries, such as the automotive and chemical industries, in order to enable such industries to increase their exports a little. We believe that the best way to approach prosperity is to increase the farmers' purchasing power instead of the present misguided method of trying to increase the purchasing power of urban labor and reduce the possible income of agriculturists. The present disparity of purchasing power of the three groups necessitates thought being given first to the plight of agriculture; and no wiser way to begin remedial action can be found than to establish and maintain a definite Federal policy of preserving the domestic market for the domestic agricultural producer. We insist that Congress, in its second session of the Seventy-sixth Congress, repeal the Trade Agreement Act in view of the apparent further dislocation that has resulted to agriculture under the provisions of this act as enforced by the Department of State, and that Congress, in repealing the act, direct the Secretary of State to serve notice upon each country with which the United States has entered into a trade agreement, notifying such contracting country that the outstanding agreement will be terminated upon the expiration of 6 months from the date of giving such notice. In event of a failure to repeal the act or in event of the extension of its provisions after its termination date in June 1940 we recommend that provisions for Senate ratification and opportunity for court review be incorporated in the text of the act. RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE NATIONAL COOPERATIVE MILK PRODUCERS' FEDERATION IN OMAHA, NEBr., DECEMBER 6, 1940 We reiterate the Federation's permanent program for agriculture: (1) To preserve the domestic market for domestic producers; (2) to lift the level of all basic commodity prices by the device of managing the currency; (3) to require the coordination of other Federal Government programs to harmonize with the managed-currency policy; (4) to maintain the normal relationship which the production and marketing of agricultural commodities have to each other by management of surpluses and a rational system of production control; (5) to expand the national consumption of dairy products by coordination, educational, and advertising campaigns; (6) to protect the public health by continuous provision of adequate funds to indemnify cattle owners for the slaughter of animals infected with diseases such as tuberculosis, Bang's and mastitis; (7) to protect the public health by requiring all dairy products imported to conform to the same health standards as are required of domestic producers; (8) to encourage dairy farmers of the Nation to give particular heed to their personal problems of efficiency of production; (9) to encourage dairy farmers everywhere to arm themselves with the greatest instrument of self-defense that they can utilize by joining bona fide producer-owned and producer-controlled cooperative associations. We reaffirm the policies of the federation expressed in resolutions adopted at the 1939 annual meeting. RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE TWENTY-FIFTH ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE NATIONAL COOPERATIVE MILK PRODUCERS' FEDERATION IN CHICAGO, ILL., NOVEMBER 12, 1941 We uncompromisingly oppose all efforts to push legislation through the Congress disguised as national defense measures which has as its purpose the blanket repeal of tariff duties, internal-excise taxes, and other import restrictions. Such legislation is usually couched in broad, vague language with unrestricted, discretionary powers of interpretation and application left in the hands of either the President or his designates. We do not believe that Congress should thus divest itself of tariff-making powers; neither do we believe it wise to leave to the discretion of one official or a group of officials the determination of what articles should be admitted to this country duty free or otherwise unrestricted by protective tariff devices. We believe that while the trade-agreement program has had serious and detrimental effect, particularly upon dairy and livestock producers, this new scheme will prove even more inimical to their interests and that of the country at large. RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE TWENTY-SIXTH ANNUAL CONVENTION OF THE NATIONAL COOPERATIVE MILK PRODUCERS' FEDERATION IN CHICAGO, ILL,, DECEMBER 4, 1942 We reiterate our position of last year in opposition to all efforts to push legislation through the Congress, which has as its purpose the vesting of unlimited discretion in the President or his designates to repeal, suspend, or modify tariff duties, immigration, and other import or export restrictions. We do not believe that the acute need for material of a strategic character, the source of supply of which is outside the continental United States, or that our crying need for manpower, or that the need for bolstering vanishing supplies of foodstuffs, call for the delegation by Congress of wholesale powers to the President to permit him to decide what may best be exported or imported without heed of existing protective legal barriers. We urge the Congress to retain its control over tariffs, immigration quotas, and similar restrictions and liberalize on these only when the need for liberalization is unequivocally demonstrated and specifically pointed out. We have confidence in the integrity and patriotism of Congress to deal intelligently and swiftly with individual situations calling for the repeal, suspension, or modification of such restrictions when the need of such action has been established and by way of the orderly legislative processes. Mr. HOLMAN. Mr. Chairman, as Dr. Sayre said in his testimony, there is very little reliable statistical information after the year 1939 with regard to the international trade of this country and really, on a comparative basis, there is very little after the year 1938. Also, it is very difficult at this time to appraise the effect upon agricultural industry and particularly the dairy industry, because of the prevalence of governmental controls and price guarantees which have prevailed almost continually since 1938. I refer particularly to the semigovernmental agency, the Dairy Products Marketing Association, which operates under the direction of the Secretary of Agriculture, now the Food Administrator; the Federal Security Credit Corporation; Lend-Lease, and the Commodity Credit Corporation; also the Ágricultural Marketing Agreement Act Administration, which is under either the Secretary or the Food Distribution Administrator. The details of that we are not quite clear about. The latter organization controls the prices of milk to producers in some 26 to 30 of the great interstate milksheds of the Nation. In consequence, where you have a territory such as the Dairymen's League territory of New York State, the New England Milk Producers' territory of Boston, which formerly was on a very direct competitive basis with Canadian milk and cream, the effect of pricing would not be felt as greatly as it would be under some other conditions. And in that connection I might say, also, that the Lenroot-Taber sanitary milk-control bill, which Congress passed a few years ago, has still been to some extent effective-in fact to a great extent effective and has militated downward and otherwise has the distressing effect of cutting some of the tariff duties. With respect to butter, the Federal Government at the present time is requisitioning 30 percent of the entire supply of creamery butter and we understand that amount will very shortly be increased, possibly up to 40 or 50 percent. This butter is being bought by the Government at a stabilized price of 46.5 cents per pound for 92 score, in Chicago, which is the ceiling price established also by the O. P. A. Cheese is being bought, one-half of the entire supply being requisitioned by the Federal Government, at a price of 23% cents a pound and, on top of that, the Government has forced upon our cheese producers an unearned subsidy in lieu of the natural price, amounting to 3/4 cents per pound. In other words, the cheese is bought from the individual cheese factory by the O. P. M. A. with money furnished by the Commodity Credit Corporation, at an invoice price of 27 cents. It is then sold back to the same cheese factory, without the cheese ever leaving the shelves, at 234 cents. The factory is then required to put on the invoice to the farmer that this is a Government subsidy to them, in lieu of the normal price. Also war diversions and the lack of shipping affect very materially the export policy of Canada and the export opportunities to America of the Argentine, with the result that no great quantity of dairy products has come in since 1938. I might say that the most important cheese importations we know must have come largely from the Argentine, because of the type-no; before 1939, they came largely from Switzerland and from France and they were the Swiss types of cheese, Roquefort and the blue mold, which is an imitation of Roquefort cheese, but made out of cow's milk. Our interest, therefore, in the case of extending the agreements lies as much in what we may expect to happen, as in what has happened up to the present time. Following the rather consistent directions of our organization over. a number of years, I desire today to offer the opposition of our organization to any further extension of the Trade Agreement Act, unless there be some very important and very material amendments to the act in the process of its being extended. Our own organization prefers Senate ratification, because there is a considerable body of material in all of these agreements which we believe to be more nearly in tone with a treaty than with a minor trade agreement. Notably among these is the proposed Argentine Sanitary Convention which, as you gentlemen all recall, was introduced and sent to the Senate several years ago by the State Department, in an attempt to lift the quarantine which was not exclusively confined to Argentina at that time, but which affected Argentina because of the prevalence of the foot-and-mouth disease in that country, and the apparent lethargy and lack of interest on the part of the Argentine Government in making any attempt to clean up this very dangerous disease. I have prepared and have distributed among the committee and, after calling your attention to it, would like to file in the record, a memorandum here which deals with this subject very shortly, but is very patent, I believe, to the point of showing that this type of thing when inserted into trade agreements calls for treaty treatment by the Congress, rather than the unlimited exercise of power with regard to trade agreements. (The memorandum referred to is as follows:) SANITARY CONVENTIONS CONTAINED IN THE TRADE AGREEMENTS All of the trade agreements executed by the United States under the Trade Agreement Act, except the agreement with the Belgo-Luxemburg Economic Union, contain provisions to the effect that nothing contained in the agreements shall prevent the adoption or enforcement, by the contracting governments, of measures to protect human, animal, or plant life or health. |