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Joint Statement of 28 Republican Congressmen, March 5, 1950
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4525645
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Joint Statement of 28 Republican Congressmen, March 5, 1950
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Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
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The original documents are located in Box D13, folder "Joint Statement of 28 Republican
Congressmen, March 5, 1950" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and
Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D13 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FOR IMEDIATE RELEASE
Joint Statement of 28 Republican Members of the House
In the four and one-half years that have passed since the Japanese surrender,
the United States has generously helped our friends and former enemies in all quarters
of the world. The hungry were fed, the war damage repaired and financial assistance
given to strengthen their economies, This country can be proud of the results obtained
through our unselfish efforts,
As expected, the need and demand for assistance has materially eased. This is
particularly true of food. American food exports have declined sharply with the
result that we have accuint lated in a short period of time large surpluses of food, now
valued at over $2,000,000,000. The Secretary of Agriculture has announced acreage
allotments for this year in our major crops that will reduce their acroage by approxi-
mately 30,000,000 acres. Further siashes may be expected in 1951 unless prompt steps
are taken to move the accurulating food surplutes.
It is time that we should give thought and consideration to our own problems and
the problems of our own people, We are therefore sponsoring a bill to make available
to our own deserving people the surplus food owned by the Commodity Credit Corporation.
This was clearly the intent of Congress when at the last sea ion the Agricultural Act
of 1949 was passed. Legalistic interpretations and regulations have succeeded in
almost completely mullifying this congressional directive and making necessary this
clarifying bill.
The legislation we propose will authorize the Secretary of Agriculture and the
Commodity Credit Corporation to make surplus food commodities available to Federal,
State and local welfare agencies, private welfare agencios and the school-lunch program.
To expedite the program of assistance, the Secretary of Agriculture would be authorized
to advance up to six months' storage costs to apply against handling and transportation
costs. At the present time the Commodity Credit Corporation is paying storage bills that
vary according to the estimates and their source from $10,000,000 to $15,000.000 a month
on their holdings of surplus agricultural commodities. Under this bill these storage
costs would be substantially reduced with the result that the needed food would be made
available to the deserving A. rican people at no cost to the taxpayers. In fact, it
would be possible in some instances to reduce the State and local tax load through the
utilization of these surpluses and we are sure that this matter will be thoroughly
checked when the bill is considered.
It is the intention of the sponsors of this legislation that it be considered
entirely non-political. It in believed to be in keeping with the best. American trad-
itions to help one's own and those deserving and in need of help.
According to the latest figures, there are 2,715,751 persons recoiving old age
pensions, 1,486,404 receiving dependents and children benefits, 92,000 blind receiving
help, and 543,000 on State and local relief rolls,
The Commodity Credit Corporation on December 31, 1949, had in inventory over
23,000,000 pounds of cheese, over 215,000,000 pounds of dried milk, nearly 50,000,000
pounds of prunes, 23,000,000 pounds of raisins, over 9,000,000 own of dried beans,
1,600,000 cwt of rice, over 70,000,000 pounds of dried eggs, 725,000 pounds of turkeys,
and is committed to buy over 50,000,000 bushels of potatoes.
Why not bring these two sets of statistics together, for they are more than statis-
tics? They are people and food. Better to get the food to the deserving people than
to pay storage, and ultimately hire more people to destroy the food.
Hugh D. Scott, Jr. . Penn.
R. Walter Riehlman - ::. Y.
John Phillips - Calif.
Thomas A. Jenkins - Ohio
Jesse P. Wolcott - Mich.
Albert 11. Cole - Kan.
Richard M. Nixon - Calif.
Antoni N. Sedlak - Conn.
Hardie Scott - Penn.
Henry J. Latham - II. Y.
William L. Pfeiffer - II. Y.
William S. Hill - Colo.
John W. Heselton - Mass.
Charles B. Hoeven - Iowa
Kenneth B. Keating - II. Y.
August H. Andresen - Hinn.
J. Glenn Beall - Md.
Paul B. Dague - Pann.
Donald Jackson - Calif.
Gerald R. Ford, "2. - Mich.
Robert J. Corbett - Penn.
Harold 0. Lovre - S. Dak.
Edwin Arthur Hall - N. Y.
James W. Wadsworth - N. Y.
Thomas H. Werdel - Calif.
Daniel A. Reed - N. Y.
W. Sterling Cole ou 11. Y.
Henry 0. Talle any Iowa
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
FOR RELEASE TO SUNDAY AN!S, MARCH 5, 1950
Joint Statement by 18 Republican Members of the House
Millions for storage charges on surplus food stocks but nothing for needy Americans
who could use the food, is apparontly the Administration's policy. The Appropriations
Committee report on hearings on the Agriculture Department appropriations bill disclosed
that the Commodity Credit Corporation paid $105,239,287 in storage charges on surplus
food stocks in bulging warehouses during the period July 1, 1949 to December 31, 1949
This is at a rate of over $17,500,000 per month. The storage bill is running at an even
higher rate now. Secretary Brannan testified Thursday that the Commodity Credit Carp-
oration could pay freight charges on surplus commodities - - like potatoes - - if they
were to be converted to cattle feed but not for human consumption.
There are pending before the House Agriculture Committee several bills that would
authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to advance for freight and handling charges up
to the cost of six months' storage, on surplus food commodities for Federal, State and
local welfare agencies. Why can't we get surplus food to needy Americans before it
spoils? The savings in storage charges on dried beans, dried milk, and many other prod-
ucts would more than offset the freight charges, and result in a net saving to the
taxpayers.
Roy Woodruff, Michigan
Gerald R. Ford, Jr., Michigan
Richara Nixon, California
John J. Allen, Jr., California
Kenneth Keating, New York
Walter Norblad, Oregon
Hugh Scott, Pennsylvania
Jay LeFerre, New York
Hardie Scott, Pennsylvania
Charles so Wolverton, New Jersey
Jesse Po Wolcott, Michigan
Robert Hale, Maine
Antoni Sadlak, Connecticut
Ralph A. Gamble, New York
Clifford P. Case, New Jersey
James E. Van Zandt, Pennsylvania
Harold Oo Lovre, South Dakota
T. Millet Hand, New Jersey
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD