Evening star., 1947-05-23
q Pei. Fund Cut
For agriculture
Goes 10 House
$780,, ,143, ,576 Measure
Is 383 Million Below
Truman Estimates
SCHOOL LUNCH fund cut 40 per
cent In supply bill. Page Az
BY the Assoeiaied Press


The House Appropriations
Committee swung its economy
ak at the Agriculture Depart
ment today, recommending a 80
per cent budget cut.
In sending to the House floor an
$807,143.576 bill to finance the de-
partment for the year starting July
/, the committee slashed 1888 ,427, :
742 from President Truman's budget
estimates.
The amount approved is $469 ,542,-
ATS less than the department had to
spend this year. 1t includes $685.
100000 In loan authorizations and
$10,429. ITO in permanent appropria-
tions.
Bring Total to 2 Billion.
The cuts, If upheld by the House
after debate next week, will boost to
slightly more than $1,000 600 900 the
total reductions made by the House
in it's drive to lop Sc, ,00e, ,000, 900 from
the Presidents $37, 500, ,00o, 900 budg-
ct for 1948.
This is exclusive of a surprise
S642, ,Q00, 900 bookkeeping" cut writ
ten into a deficiency appropriation
bill by the Senate Appropriations
Committee and passed by both
houses without a word of debate
earlier this week.
The House committee acted on the
agriculture bill after weeks of
closed-door hearings and after Sec
'''etary Anderson insisted that any
eductions would impair essential
arm services. The estimates sub
litted, Mr.. Anderson claimed, were
ock-bottom minimums.
But the committee rejected this
~ontention and said in its report
hat the bills objective Is to make
'selective reductions" based on pres
cnt and future needs of agriculture.
Statistics Quoted.
To back its contention that less
Federal money is needed, the report
quoted statistics submitted by Sec
retary Anderson showing that be-
tween 1910 and 1916 the value of
farmers livestock, equipment and
crop inventories jumped So per cent
and the value of farm lands scared
68 per cent.
Farm savings rose from $4,200,-
600, 900 to 81, 300, ,O00, 900 during those
years, while farmers debts dropped
from $10,000000,000 to $4,000, ,000,-
900, the report said.
Here then, is unparalleled testi-
mony to the splendid conditions Of
American agriculture" it declared.
The committees major cuts were
directed at the Farmers Home Ad-
ministration, an offshoot of the old
Farm Security Administration; the
Soil Conservation Service, the crop
insurance program and the school
lunch program.
(%Section 80" Fund Shift.
. OF the total recommended reduc-
ton, $148, 100000 was accounted for
by transfer from the Agriculture
Department to the Treasury's gen.
eral fund of Section 80" money
heretofore allotted for various farm
programs, including the school lunch
project and conservation payments.
These funds come from customs
duties, 80 per cent of which had
been earmarked for the Agriculture
Department. The Presidents budget
had contemplated the use OF $780,
100000 of this money for benefit
payments to farmers.
The committee said. however,
that it's action in withholding the
Section 80" money should not be
taken to mean that similar action
should be taken in future years"
This fund is intended to provide
relief In emergent periods when a
surplus problem exists" the COM
mittee said. That problem, how
ever. does not exist at the present
time e"
Conservation Slash.
The committee also (a) cut out
all funds for farm tenant loans,
ID, trimmed from $267 7,620,754 to
S150,000,000 the funds for soil con-
servation payments and tc) entire
" eliminated from the bill language
that would have authorized a $780,
100000 soil conservation program
for the 1948 crop year.
On the other hand, the committee
approved full budget estimates of
STATS, 400 for crop and livestock re-
ports, $4,000 for investigations to
develop domestic sources of rubber
from guayule and other plants, $l79,-
900 for research into improving
methods for extracting rubber from
such plants, $7,161, 1858 for payments
to States for operation of experiment
stations
The committees recommendations
with respect to major departmental
activities:
Soil conservation and use pay
(See APPROPRIATIONS. Pg. Az