5. Since the farmers are only receiving approximately 45 cents of the consumer's dollar we should have some tax relief. I understand there are from 121 to 159 different taxes on every item the consumer buys over the retail counter; therefore, when you add the high labor costs to the products the difference between the raw material and the finished product is tremendous.

In conclusion, I am not in favor of any type Government controls on agriculture or business. I am not in favor of Government subsidies, doles, or gifts to any person or group of persons guaranteeing a profit in any business enterprise.

I am a strong believer in that no government should do for man what he can and should do for himself. America has progressed where it is today under a free-enterprise system. Let's keep it that

way.

Thank you, gentlemen.

Mr. HOEVEN. Thank you, Mr. Barton.

I understand that Mrs. Álton Powers, of Hubbard, Iowa, has now arirved. If she is in the room we will recognize Mrs. Powers for 3 minutes.

STATEMENT OF MRS. ALTON POWERS, OF HUBBARD, IOWA

Mrs. POWERS. Honorable Chairman and members of the committee, I am Mrs. Alton Powers from Hubbard, Iowa. First of all I would like to say that the thing that is nearest to my heart is that we are farmers in Hardin County. We farm 360 acres and our main enterprise is beef producing along with raising some boys and maintaining a home that is very important to us in the way of life that farming gives you.

I want to say that we farmers in Hardin County in the State of Iowa, as we look around this room are not too hard hit. We are pretty well dressed. We have all these things. But those are the things we want to keep. We are not going to let Mr. Benson write them off the slate if we can help it.

I am here to say that we want to keep price supports, we have got to have 90 percent of parity or above. If it takes price controls to do it, then we are going to have price controls. My husband said, "If you don't do any thing else down there, go down and say that we have got to keep where we are, or what? Give it up? We are not going to go back to the no-bathroom houses, and so on and so forth. We have them and we are going to keep them."

I am also State president of the Young Democratic Clubs of Iowa. In speaking to some of my members over the State they say: "Lois, if you get a chance to go to Des Moines and say something, tell them Mr. Benson has had his chance, it is time for somebody elso to give us something that we want, that the farmers have asked for, and now are almost demanding."

So if you are going to choose someone to succeed Mr. Benson-and we are right here today in the greatest State, the farming State of the world-why not choose a man from, I say, Iowa? They say from the Midwest. Let's make it Iowa. Iowa has the best agricultural college

in the world, and I think they are kind of ignored sometimes when it comes to choosing people who could help on agricultural problems. Thank you.

Mr. HOEVEN. Thank you, Mrs. Powers.

I think we should accommodate three witnesses now who have come a long way from the State of Kansas, and they will be called in this order: Mr. L. Y. Strand, of Brewster, Kans.; Mr. Henry A. Meyer, of Nemaha County Farmers Union of Kelly, Kans. ; and Frank Haumont. Mr. L. W. Strand.

STATEMENT OF L. W. STRAND, OF BREWSTER, KANS.

Mr. STRAND. Mr. Chairman, I sincerely appreciate the fact that I was given this opportunity this afternoon to make my statement. I am a farmer and I am a member of the Farmers Union. I was a member of Benson's Wheat Advisory Committee. I must have said something wrong at one time because I was never invited back. It didn't bother me, though, because 80 percent of that committee are millers, commercial men, and wholesalers. So I did not regret that I was not called back.

I want the present farm program left as is. I will take additional acreage cuts if necessary. I am now reduced to 60 acres per 160 acres. If need be, I will take 50-40, but I want my 90-percent parity guaranteed. I do not favor the two-price system because if you turn me loose in western Kansas to raise all the wheat I can I will ruin every corn farmer in Iowa.

I strongly resent Benson's statement that wars always come along and rescue the farmer's program. I am talking about World War II and the Korean situation. I would like to make this comment: It was the fact that the farmer's program had built up these surpluses that saved the Nation and the world. We face continued droughts and war. By what practical reasoning do we conclude that there is too much corn, wheat, and butter? I come from a drought area. We do not have too much hay. We have to ship a lot of feed in. I can say that today the drought is worse than it was in June and July. It may continue that way. Next year we may have to be shipping these things in. I think it is a wonderful idea to have these feed surpluses.

I

I also would like to recommend that we do not emasculate the REA. pay $10 and $20 a month minimum fees. I do not care as long as I pay that $20 minimum to my REA because I am paying it to my Government. But I would hate to pay that $20 minimum to the Idaho Power Co. Therefore, I say to this committee I recommend that we build Hells Canyon.

Crop insurance and long-term farm credit should be expanded. In this tightening economy we pay higher interest rates on our commodity credit loans. That should be done with immediately. As far as our surpluses are concerned, I think that we could take 10 percent of our defense budget and siphon it into agricultural products and send all that surplus overseas and use it at home.

I thank you.

Mr. HOEVEN. Thank you.

The next witness is Mr. Henry A. Meyer, of Kelly, Kans.

STATEMENT OF HENRY A. MEYER, OF KELLY, KANS.

Mr. MEYER. Mr. Chairman, I wish to give my time to our State representative, Alvin Bauman, from our district, who will present our views, if the committee please.

Mr. HOEVEN. Very well.

STATEMENT OF HON. ALVIN BAUMAN, REPRESENTATIVE, 38TH DISTRICT, NEMAHA COUNTY, KANS.

Mr. BAUMAN. I am State representative from Nemaha County to the General Assembly of the State of Kansas and also serve on the agricultural committee of the State of Kansas.

Gentlemen, I appreciate this opportunity after driving up here to appear before you. At this time I want to say a few remarks on the cattle market. I have quotations here taken out of the St. Joseph Stockyard Journal that I wish to quote. On July 2, 1953, cattle sold for $22 a hundred and only 24 head brought that. On October 8, 1953, prime cattle brought $27 a hundred and only 10 head brought that by these quotations. Five dollars a hundred higher on October 8 for prime cattle. The same time, good and choice on the 2d of July brought $19 to $22. On October 8, $20 to $25. Now I want you to get this: On July 2 commercials brought from $14 to $18. On October 8 commercials brought from $12 to $14.

Look at the difference. Commercials went down $5 a hundred and prime went up $5 a hundred. Who said we do not need a little support under this cattle market and who is buying these cattle? Cows, top, on October 8 were $12. One head brought that. The bulk of them sold for around $72 with canners down to $5, which was only 66% percent of what it was in the high time in January 1952.

On July 2 cows brought from $912 to $13. Look at the difference in the comparison there with the cows and commercials and canners going down with canners going up, with just a few head bringing that.

To the cattle industry we suggest nonrecourse loans to stabilize the cattle market at a reasonable rate of interest, and that is the only way you are going to support the cattle market to keep the poor farmer from going broke or 75 percent of the farmers will go broke at 75 percent of parity.

I would like to take this time, too, to also say that the farmer should have 100 percent of parity because industry is being supported. You can go back 110 years and see that special interests went to the Government in Washington and got supports, or got laws through that will protect their industry.

At the present time our ATA and its subsidiaries in 47 States are protected. They are guaranteed or underwritten a return. I would like to sum this up: Let us keep the present farm program with amendments for parity to all agriculture. I say all agricultural products. For the other segments of our economy are underwritten, are guaranteed a return. The farmer, fighting the elements of the weather, needs 100 percent of parity to stay in business.

Thank you.

(The document referred to above is as follows:)

One hundred percent of parity for all products. The farmers are going to produce what is supported for 75 percent parity or below will break 75 percent of the farmers.

For the cattle industry we suggest nonrecourse loans to stabilize the cattle market, at a reasonable rate of interest.

Industry now is supported by parity.

In summary: Let's keep the present farm program, with amendments for parity to all agriculture products. For if other segments of our economy are underwritten, or guaranteed a return, the farmer, fighting the elements of the weather need 100 percent parity to stay in business.

Mr. HOEVEN. Thank you.

The next witness is Frank Hawmont, of the Nemaha Farmers Union. If he is not present we will pass him for the present. Next is Joe Carber, of Delmar, Iowa.

STATEMENT OF JOE CARBER, OF DELMAR, IOWA

Mr. CARBER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have no prepared testimony. I feel that most anyone can have someone write testimony for him. I would like to refer my testimony to the one of our good

Governor Beardsley. I think he presented some fine testimony on behalf of agriculture.

I would like to devote my time to this concept of parity, and there I think Mr. Roach did a fair job on concepts of parity. Certainly the farmers want 100 percent of parity, not 90 percent but 100 percent of parity. They criticize a sliding scale, yet it is only a true form of parity as I see it.

I would like to refer you to about 2 years ago when they were getting price control. They told us that these cattle were 135 to 140 percent of parity. I happen to be a cattle feeder. I marketed 83 head of cattle at a terrific loss during the months of June and July. Had we had the rollback that was suggested by what some people think was our good Secretary of Agriculture, of $9 a hundred, there was no way in my book that I could figure a profit, taking into consideration the cost of those cattle, the price of production, and so forth.

I also want to refer to some of the comments that have been made here by our friends and neighbors. We had quite an argument in Clinton County-where I am from, and I think it is the cattle-feeding county of the world-with labor on the rollback, and they were definitely for a rollback at that time. We tried to tell them what it was going to do to the farmer and they weren't in sympathy with us at all. Now it is amusing to see the CIO and UAW being interested in the farmer.

Some time ago they wanted us to go back down. It is quite amusing to see. I think we have to get at the parity formula and figure a just means of parity. Ninety percent of parity is not what the farmer wants. We need 100 percent of parity. Let's have parity beef, and reasonable income for the farmer. In other words, it should take into consideration the cost of production.

I raise corn on my farm and 2 years ago my yield of corn was about 60 bushels to the acre. Last year it was 100 bushels to the acre. My cost of production was just as much for the 60 bushels per acre as for the 100 bushels per acre. In other words, 100 percent of parity, if that was $1.50 a bushel, would not be just in the 60 bushel acre yield. When I had a hundred bushel acre yield I think I could take a little bit less. I think that you have to take a little into consideration, the concept of parity.

Let's get the parity formula adjusted to meet the farmer's income to take care of him between the cost of production and what he makes. It is not so much what we make, it is what we have left at the end of the year after we have made it. I have handled more money in the last 10 years than I have ever handled in my life, and my bank account will show less than it has shown many times during my life.

Let's get it equal. Thank you.

Mr. HOEVEN. Thank you.

Next is Bernard Collins, Clarion, Iowa.

STATEMENT OF BERNARD COLLINS, OF CLARION, IOWA

Mr. COLLINS. Gentlemen, I am Bernard Collins, of Clarion, Iowa. I operate a 400-acre farm there in which we carry on general farming. I raise between 1,200 and 1,300 head of hogs a year. My entire income is from the production of this farm so you can see that I am quite interested in the type of farm program that I am going to be farming