Wm. Thornberry, Cayuga, N. Dak. Elmer Hoppa, Cayuga, N. Dak. Peter J. Paczkowski, Cayuga, N. Dak. Rev. Stanislaus J. Duda, Geneseo, N. Dak. Mrs. Roy W. Lorenz, Geneseo, N. Dak. L. W. Odenbrett Fred Wisnewski, Geneseo, N. Dak. PEOPLE OF SARGENT COUNTY, N. DAK., DEMAND A FARM PROGRAM OF 100-PERCENT PARITY ON ALL FARM PRODUCTS It is hereby resolved that the people of Sargent County, N. Dak., businessmen as well as farmers, demand that a balanced and stabilized farm program which will uphold support prices on all farm products at not less than 100 percent of parity, and an ever-normal granary loan program be approved by Congress at their next session in January 1954 at Washington, D. C. Reasons for the above-mentioned program: 1. To keep rural income at a point whereby rural people, businessmen as well as farmers, can maintain their homes, educate their families, keep up and pay for their farms, churches, schools, etc., thus building a sound community, State, and Nation. 2. Since prices on food and farm products change to a low price in good years and to a high figure in short crop years, also many uncalled for changes caused presumably by speculation, we feel it is the Nation's duty to keep a supply of food on hand to offset short years and protect the buying public in short years, as well as to protect the producing farm people on good years, thus leveling off and stabilizing prices to the consumer as well as to the producer. 3. To guarantee to the producer of farm products a stable, parity price also giving the consuming public the same stable parity price, who at present sell and buy according to market fluctuations, and prices set by demands of people and goods except on goods where the present 90 percent of parity farm program law applies. Some important changes that could be added to our present farm program: 1. Include all farm products at supports of not less than 100 percent of parity. 2. Limit 100 percent of parity-price controls and guaranties at a point where income goes above the family-type farm needs as to the home, paying for the home educational, living, and operating expenses, depreciation, and general income needed for securities of life on the farm. Above that figure farm products should be sold at market prices. A committee of rural living farmers should set a figure of controls not to exceed the needs of family-type farmers. This will help to control surplus. Controls: Quota or individual bushel control should be a preference to the present acreage control in grain production and pound control in livestock or it could be done by units. A unit could mean so much income of any product over and above so many units of income the amount necessary for family needs. Control prices should cease and market prices prevail. A license card allowing sale of so many units could be granted each individual farmer. PMA and ACP Government payments should be limited according to family needs and family-type farming rather than on large farm operating practices. LAWRENCE KUMMETH, President ARNOLD A. FIDJE. VERNER EKLUND. MERVIN REISENWEBER. LAWRENCE KUMMETH, OAKES, N. DAK., September 14, 1953. President, Sargent County Farmers Union, Cogswell, N. Dak. DEAR MR. KUMMETH: On September 1 at its regular meeting, the Crete Farmers Union local voted on a resolution favoring 100-percent parity. We urge you to present our views to both the State convention in Bismarck and the House Agriculture hearing to be held in Watertown. DEAR SIR: We, the members of the White Stone Hill Farmers Union, wish to go on record as favoring 100-percent of parity on all farm products. We urge you to present our views at the House Agriculture Committee hearing at Watertown, S. Dak. Sincerely yours, FLOYD CAMPBELL, President, White Stone Hill Local. OCTOBER 12, 1953. To the Board of Directors of the Sargent County Farmers Union: We, the members of the Sargent-Harlem Farmers Union Local in session October 12, 1953, go on record for a farm program with 100 percent parity on all farm products with production controls when necessary. We ask you to express our views at the agricultural meeting to be held at Watertown, S. Dak., October 13, 1953, also at the State convention held in Bismarck November 3 to 6, 1953. L. W. KUMMETH, Secretary. Mr. LOVRE. Lester Stratton, of South Dakota. STATEMENT OF LESTER STRATTON, WENTWORTH, S. DAK. Mr. STRATTON. Congressman Lovre and other members of the committee. I am not much of a speaker. I am speaking as an individual. My name is Lester Stratton. I own and operate about 650 acres of farmland in Lake County, S. Dak., with my son and my brother, and on a 50-50 basis. We feed about 20,000 lambs a year and about 400 to 500 head of cattle and about the same amount of hogs. If you know what the market has been in the last few years, you know the squeeze we have been in. I would like to see the support prices kept on grain because I think we need them, although it has cost me a lot of money the last few years. I would also like to see our Government buying program stepped up to where we would get rid of some of our surplus meat. I don't think anybody has talked about the sheepman here this afternoon and I would like to see something done with wool and lambs so we could get out of the doghouse, too. I think all of these speeches that we read and hear about, what they are going to do, they may be O. K., but we are not getting any results. My banker tells me "You have to get some results pretty soon or we will be out of the feeding business. I also sell some feeder livestock-buy and sell. In my territory this year there hasn't been another load of cattle or lambs shipped in to my territory in Lake County, only what I have in my feed lots. I don't think that is a good sign. They are piling up the Government corn there. We have about 300,000 bushels of it near my feed lots. If the people want to eat cornmeal instead of beef, maybe that is the program. I am a cattle feeder and a lamb feeder and I would like to see the deal straightened out. I believe that is all that I have to say. Thank you for the opportunity. Mr. LOVRE. David Zilverberg, of Harold, S. Dak. STATEMENT OF DAVID ZILVERBERG, HAROLD, S. DAK. Mr. ZILVERBERG. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and members of the Agriculture Committee. My name is David Zilverberg. I am a farmer and rancher from Hyde County, operating a 1,600-acre ranch out there. I am speaking as a head of the farmers union in Hyde County. I am the president. We have 250 members. I believe in 100-percent parity clear across the board for farm products, storables and perishables as well. We believe it is necessary to balance the economy. You can't feed $1.50 corn to $1.10 cattle or you will go broke if you do. We believe we should have not less than a 90-percent floor on all meat products. We would gladly accept 110 percent of parity ceiling in order to get that kind of support. We believe that we need speedy action to help the young farmers and ex-servicemen get out on the farm. Farmers make the best citizens. That has often been said. They need help, they need low-interest rates in order to get that help. The administration seems to worry about reducing taxes. Back home we worry about paying them. The administration wants to cut them at our expense when they cut out the farm programs. That is what we think they are doing, cutting them at our expense. We believe in the REA, RTA. We believe it is necessary to bring modern living to the family farms out in the rural communities. We are not worried about the big shots and the heads of organizations. I see my time is up. I really appreciate this, gentlemen. It is an honor for a farmer to be able to sit in front of this committee. I never believed I would have the opportunity. Thank you. Mr. LOVRE. Thank you. Mr. Lange, of Webster, N. Dak. (No response.) Mr. LOVRE. His statement will also be made a part of the record. (The statement of Mr. Lange is as follows:) Congressman HAROLD LOVRE, Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture, Congressional Hearing, Watertown, S. Dak.: COUNTY OF RAMSEY, State of North Dakota. At a meeting held in the city of Edmore, county of Ramsey, and State of North Dakota, consisting of the presidents of Farmers Union local and chairman of the board of directors of co-op elevators and oil companies and the president of the Devils Lake, Ramsey County N. Dak., Chamber of Commerce, altogether 25 men representing 976 dues-paying Farmers Union members, of which 90 percent or more are farmers, the following farm program was considered as essential to the welfare of agriculture and the national economy: Wheat.-100 percent parity support through loans and purchase agreements based on a bushelage quota if that should become necessary after full consumption is provided for. Other storables.-Parity supports for all storable farm commodities. Perishables.-Compensatory payments on all perishables to make up the difference between the market price and parity and providing that any perishables accumulated by the Department of Agriculture, and usable by our military forces, be taken over by them and credit be given the Department of Agriculture in the amount of the market value thereof. Livestock. Supports must be given the livestock raiser by giving full consideration to any and all costs of operation, including support price on feed grains. Poultry. The same consideration should be given the poultry raiser. Storage. We believe that it is necessary for the Government to stay in the business of storing storables until such time as there shall be storage on the farms, in public and private, or other storage facilities to provide an ever-normal granary supply of 1 year's normal crop. Crop insurance.-Insurance as a means of protection and stability of American agriculture should be provided by expansion and improvement of the present Federal crop insurance program based on operating costs and/or commodity loss "such as hay, pasture, feed or livestock." General farm legislation.-We believe that the community system of Production Marketing Association is the most economical and that democracy should be put in action by election of the committee in the community by producers, and the county and State levels by delegates. Limitations of benefits should be placed on large land holdings, because in too many cases they are keeping the younger generation from becoming good stable citizens of the community because of the unavailability of land to purchase or rent. REA and RTA.—REA and RTA loans at as low a rate of interest as possible, to build generating plants or transmission lines for REA, and loans of sufficient size to build economic units of RTA. It having been proven that the public utilities have in the past refused to build electric lines and telephone lines to render service to rural areas, therefore laws should be provided to provide full and complete protection for the now existing or future organized co-ops in this line of service. Farm credits.-Farmers Home Administration has proven its worth by helping many a farm family to become stable community citizens. Whereas they would otherwise have been unable to purchase land on terms and rates of interest that would have permitted them to eventually own a farm. More short-term credit needs to be provided and such co-op agencies as credit unions, PCA, and farm loan associations should be protected by laws that will allow them to operate to the fullest extent for the benefit of their members. Natural resources.-We favor the TVA type of development of any and all river basins in terms of development of electric power, flood control, irrigation, mineral deposits, soil conservation, industrial development, and recreation. We believe in the propagation of our wildlife and to this extent we recommend that sufficient grazing land and other means of protection be provided first of all before any such lands are leased for any purpose whatsoever. Co-op. Cooperatives have proven their worth in many ways, by providing goods and services for their members at cost, by providing a method for the individual businessman to pool his buying power with his business associates to enable him to compete with chain-store competition, and in many other forms according to the business and occupation of its members. They having been so recognized by the State of North Dakota by the proclamation of the Governor designating the month of October as co-op month and by other States as well, therefore we believe they are entitled to laws that will protect their rights to operate for the benefits of their members. Respectfully submitted. ANDREW BRODEN, HANS STEN, Farm Program Committee. Mr. LOVRE. Wyatt Heyl, of Colton, S. Dak. (No response. Mr. LOVRE. His statement also will be made a part of the record. We, the Minnehaha County Farmers Union, at regular monthly meeting held at Lyons, October 12, 1953, do unanimously go on record as supporting President Eisenhower in his statement for 100 percent of parity for all farm commodities. We feel that the Secretary of Agriculture should fulfill the promises made by President Eisenhower. We urge immediate action on full parity support for livestock. ED HUSTRULID, Committee. Mr. LOVRE. Hans Lentz, of Hebron, N. Dak. STATEMENT OF HANS LENTZ, HEBRON, N. DAK. Mr. LENTZ. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, we all wish to eliminate the depressions. We must know what causes them. The depression is caused by lack of the exchange medium in relation to the production of goods and services. A very good example of that was the time when we plowed under every third row of cotton, when the textile mills were standing idle and the workers were on relief, while the farmer was burying his good beefsteaks and was wearing overalls with patches. The textile workers wanted the beef in exchange for the farmers wanting the overalls, but they could not get it because there was a lack of medium of exchange. Our medium of exchange is credit dollars, and they are absolutely in the hands of those who control credit with a fraction of the reserve of bank loans. In order to eliminate this we must always keep the medium of exchange exactly in balance with the production of goods and services. We must eliminate the fractional reserve to bank loans and require 100 percent reserve to bank loans. That will tie the credit medium of exchange directly to the time deposits, and the amount of variation of medium of exchange must be taken by adjusting the money supply through the use of the index number of money, keeping it at 100 cents at all times. We must adjust the medium of exchange then through printing new dollar bills if we are short of medium of exchange in comparison to the production of goods and services, and if we have more money, medium of exchange in circulation, we must tax that medium of exchange away from us so we always keep a 100-cent dollar at all times. This kind of 100-cent dollar would stabilize our economy, no inflations, no depressions, no government bonds of any kind, even in time of war. It will also eliminate the cause of communism which is one in the midst of plenty. This is the only chance for peace and plenty that we and the world have. Thank you. (The document referred to above is as follows:) THE ELIMINATION OF DEPRESSIONS AND INFLATIONS In order to eliminate depressions we must find out what causes them. A depression is caused by a shortage of exchange medium, money, in relation to the goods and services which we want to exchange. |