1937
Congressional Record—Senate
1085
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the amendment of the committee to insert a new paragraph on page 33, after line 18.
The amendment was agreed to.
The next amendment of the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry was, on page 34, after line 10, to insert a new paragraph, as follows:
The Secretary shall determine and specify in such proclamation the amount of the national marketing quota for cotton in terms of the quantity (the number of standard bales of 500 pounds weight) which may be marketed during such marketing year: Provided, however, That such number of bales shall not be less than 70 percent of the average annual number of bales produced during the 10-year period ended December 1932.
The amendment was agreed to.
Mr. BILBO. Before paragraphs (b) and (c) are read, I ask that they go over until tomorrow, because I have in course of preparation an amendment to be offered to those two subsections.
Mr. McKELLAR. Mr. President, I hope that will be done.
Mr. BANKHEAD. I have no objection.
Mr. HAYDEN. Mr. President, I desire to join in that request as respects subsection (b). I have an amendment I desire to offer to that subsection.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to subsections (b) and (c) being passed over? The Chair hears none, and it is so ordered. The clerk will report the next amendment.
The next amendment of the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry was, on page 35, after line 11, to insert the following:
(d) Apportionment of the quota for any county or subdivision thereof shall be made by distributing among the farms therein that acreage which, on the basis of the average yield of cotton in such county or subdivision thereof, would produce the amount of the county quota. Such acreage shall be apportioned among the farms producing cotton in the county, or subdivision thereof, as follows:
(1) By allocating 5 acres to each such farm for each family engaged thereon as owner, share tenant, tenant renter, or sharecropper in the production of cotton on such farm: Provided, however, That the number of acres allotted for any family cultivating less than 5 acres during either of the two preceding seasons shall be the larger of the number of acres that was cultivated in either of such seasons, such production to be determined in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary.
(2) At least 95 percent of any acreage remaining shall be apportioned to the farms in the county in the same proportion that the lands tilled on each farm in the preceding year bears to the total tilled lands in the county in such year.
(3) The remainder of such acreage may be distributed equitably among the farms in the county, taking into consideration good soil management, type of soil, topography, production facilities, the average acreage of cotton grown on the farm during the preceding 3 years (taking into account in the applicable years the acreage diverted from such production because of agricultural adjustment and conservation programs), and the acreage of food and feed crops needed for home consumption on the farm. In distributing the acreage allotment under this subsection (3) due allowance under instructions issued by the Secretary shall be made for sources of cash farm income other than that derived from cotton.
Mr. BILBO. Mr. President, I desire to amend the paragraph on page 35, line 19, by striking out the word "five" and inserting in lieu thereof "seven and one-half."
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The amendment will be stated.
The Chief Clerk. On page 35, in the committee amendment, in line 19, after the word "allocating", it is proposed to strike out "five" and insert "seven and one-half", so the phrase would read:
By allocating 7½ acres to each such farm for each family engaged thereon, as owner, share tenant, tenant renter, or sharecropper in the production of cotton on such farm.
The amendment to the amendment was agreed to.
Mr. BILBO. I now move to amend further, on page 35, by striking out lines 22, 23, 24, and 25, and lines 1 and 2 on page 36. That would be to strike out the proviso of that subsection.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The amendment of the Senator from Mississippi to the committee amendment will be stated.
The Chief Clerk. On page 35, after line 21, it is proposed to strike out the proviso, as follows:
Provided, however. That the number of acres allotted for any family cultivating less than 5 acres during either of the two preceding seasons shall be the larger of the number of acres that was cultivated in either of such seasons, such production to be determined in accordance with regulations issued by the Secretary.
Mr. BANKHEAD. Mr. President, I am opposed to the amendment of the Senator from Mississippi. I had assumed the Senator from Mississippi had agreed to the text of the bill. At any rate, if he did not, that is all right.
We have a very large number of cotton growers, probably several hundred thousand, who grow less than two bales of cotton a year, some a bale and a half, some a bale, some only half a bale, because they are not dependent upon cotton production for their living. In other words, many dairy people have a small cotton patch, and so with fruit growers and hay growers. The result is there are several hundred thousand who produce, according to the figures of the Department, less than two bales of cotton each.
It has been my thought that under the theory of cotton reduction there is no occasion deliberately to invite people who have not been producing cotton to do so, or add to or increase their production. It would have to come out of the production of the established farmers under a period of enforced rigid restriction in production. I do not think we ought to increase production or encourage people to increase it who have not been doing so when they could do it voluntarily. It would amount to a very large acreage and number of bales of cotton.
Mr. BYRNES. Mr. President, will the Senator yield?
Mr. BANKHEAD. Certainly.
Mr. BYRNES. I thought that the language meant that in the case of a family cultivating less than 5 acres, say, 3 or 4 acres, during either of two preceding seasons—3 acres one season and 4 acres the next season—the allotment of that farmer should be 4 instead of 3.
Mr. BANKHEAD. It does.
Mr. BYRNES. That really would be a benefit to the farmer.
Mr. BANKHEAD. The Senator from Mississippi wants to strike out that provision.
Mr. BYRNES. I got the impression the Senator said it would injure those farmers.
Mr. BANKHEAD. It puts them all on a 7½ acre basis, as I construe it, and I think that is what the Senator has in mind.
Mr. BILBO. That is correct.
Mr. BANKHEAD. This is intended not to reduce any farmer who has cultivated less than 5 acres.
Mr. BYRNES. It is to give him the privilege of cultivating the highest number of acres that he has theretofore cultivated.
Mr. BANKHEAD. That is the idea.
Mr. OVERTON. Mr. President, I think the amendments if adopted would destroy the historical background in the production of cotton.
Mr. BANKHEAD. Absolutely.
Mr. OVERTON. So far as the 7½ acres are concerned.
Mr. BANKHEAD. Absolutely.
Mr. OVERTON. Any farmer or sharecropper or share tenant, whether he has ever produced cotton or not, will be entitled to produce cotton on 7½ acres.
Mr. BANKHEAD. That is correct. It is an increase program rather than holding the line.
Mr. BILBO. Mr. President, I appreciate the truth of the statement made by the Senator from Alabama that there are in the Cotton Belt a few farmers who plant a small acreage in cotton, 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 acres, when they are not dependent on cotton as their sole money crop. My purpose in moving to eliminate this provision from the bill and to give each family the right to put 7½ acres in cultivation if they so desire, is to take care of that great army of