rates, charges, tariffs, and practices relating to the transportation of farm products, and to prosecute the same before the Commission. Before hearing or disposing of any complaint (filed by any person other than the Secretary) with respect to rates, charges, tariffs, and practices relating to the transportation of farm products, the Commission shall cause the Secretary to be notified, and, upon application by the Secretary, shall permit the Secretary to appear and be heard. (7 U.S.C. 1291(a).)

(b) If such rate, charge, tariff, or practice complained of is one affecting the public interest, upon application by the Secretary, the Commission shall make the Secretary a party to the proceeding. In such case the Secretary shall have the rights of a party before the Commission and the rights of a party to invoke and pursue original and appellate judicial proceedings involving the Commission's determination. The liability of the Secretary in any such case shall extend only to liability for court costs. (7 U.S.C. 1291 (b).)

For the purposes of this section, the Interstate Commerce Commission is authorized to avail itself of the cooperation, records, services, and facilities of the Department of Agriculture. (7 U.S.C. 1291 (c).)

(d) The Secretary is authorized to cooperate with and assist cooperative associations of farmers making complaint to the Interstate Commerce Commission with respect to rates, charges, tariffs, and practices relating to the transportation of farm products. (7 U.S.C. 1291(d).) SEC. 202. (a) The Secretary is hereby authorized and directed to establish, equip, and maintain four regional research laboratories, one in each major farm producing area, and, at such laboratories to conduct researches into and to develop new scientific, chemical, and technical uses and new and extended markets and outlets for farm commodities and products and byproducts thereof. Such research and development shall be devoted primarily to those farm commodities in which there are regular or seasonal surpluses, and their products and byproducts. (7 U.S.C. 1292 (a).)

(b) For the purposes of subsection (a), the Secretary is authorized to acquire land and interests therein, and to accept in the name of the United States donations of any property, real or personal, to any laboratory established pursuant to this section, and to utilize voluntary or uncompensated services at such laboratories. Donations to any one of such laboratories shall not be available for use by any other of such laboratories. (7 U.S.C. 1292 (b).)

(c) In carrying out the purposes of subsection (a), the Secretary is authorized and directed to cooperate with other departments or agencies of the Federal Government, States, State agricultural experiment stations, and other State agencies and institutions, counties, municipalities, business or other organizations, corporations, associations, universities, scientific societies, and individuals, upon such terms and conditions as he may prescribe. (7 U.S.C. 1292(c).)

(d) To carry out the purposes of subsection (a), the Secretary is authorized to utilize in each fiscal year, beginning with the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1938, a sum not to exceed $4,000,000 of the funds appropriated pursuant to section 391 of this Act, or section 15 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended,

325-700-68

for such fiscal year. The Secretary shall allocate one-fourth of such sum annually to each of the four laboratories established pursuant to this section. (7 U.S.C. 1292 (d).)

(e)

2***

(f) There is hereby allocated to the Secretary of Commerce for each fiscal year, beginning with the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1938, out of funds appropriated for such fiscal year pursuant to section 391 of this Act, or section 15 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended, the sum of $1,000,000 to be expended for the promotion of the sale of farm commodities and products thereof in such manner as he shall direct. Of the sum allocated under this subsection to the Secretary of Commerce for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1938, $100,000 shall be devoted to making a survey and investigation of the cause or causes of the reduction in exports of agricultural commodities from the United States, in order to ascertain methods by which the sales in foreign countries of basic agricultural commodities produced in the United States may be increased. (7 U.S.C. 1292(f).)

(g) It shall be the duty of the Secretary to use available funds to stimulate and widen the use of all farm commodities in the United States and to increase in every practical way the flow of such commodities and the products thereof into the markets of the world

TITLE III-LOANS, PARITY PAYMENTS, CONSUMER SAFEGUARDS, MARKETING QUOTAS, AND

MARKETING CERTIFICATES

SUBTITLE A-DEFINITIONS, PARITY PAYMENTS, AND CONSUMER SAFEGUARDS

DEFINITIONS

SEC. 301. (a) GENERAL DEFINITIONS.-For the purposes of this title and the declaration of policy

(1) (A) The "parity price" for any agricultural commodity, as of any date, shall be determined by multiplying the adjusted base price of such commodity as of such date by the parity index as of such date.

(B) The "adjusted base price" of any agricultural commodity, as of any date, shall be (i) the average of the prices received by farmers for such commodity, at such time as the Secretary may select during each year of the ten-year period ending on the 31st of December last before such date, or during each marketing season beginning in such period if the Secretary determines use of a calendar year basis to be impracticable, divided by (ii) the ratio of the general level of prices received by farmers for agricultural commodities during such period to the general level of prices received by farmers for agricultural commodities during the period January 1910 to December 1914, inclusive. As used in this sub

* Section 202 (e) repealed by Pub. L. 706, 83d Cong., 68 Stat. 966, approved August 30,

paragraph, the term "prices" shall include wartime subsidy payments made to producers under programs designed to maintain maximum prices established under the Emergency Price Control Act of 1942.

(C) The "parity index", as of any date, shall be the ratio of (i) the general level of prices for articles and services that farmers buy, wages paid hired farm labor, interest on farm indebtedness secured by farm real estate, and taxes on farm real estate, for the calendar month ending last before such date to (ii) the general level of such prices, wages, rates, and taxes during the period January 1910 to December 1914, inclusive.

(D) The prices and indices provided for herein, and the data used in computing them, shall be determined by the Secretary, whose determination shall be final.

(E) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (A), the transitional parity price for any agricultural commodity, computed as provided in this subparagraph, shall be used as the parity price for such commodity until such date after January 1, 1950, as such transitional parity price may be lower than the parity price, computed as provided in subparagraph (A), for such commodity. The transitional parity price for any agricultural commodity as of any date shall be

(i) its parity price determined in the manner used prior to the effective date of the Agricultural Act of 1948, less

(ii) 5 per centum of the parity price so determined, multiplied by the number of full calendar years (not counting 1956 in the case of basic agricultural commodities) which, as of such date, have elapsed after January 1, 1949, in the case of nonbasic agricultural commodities, and after January 1, 1955, in the case of the basic agricultural commodities. (F) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraphs (A) and (E), if the parity price for any agricultural commodity, computed as provided in subparagraphs (A) and (E) appears to be seriously out of line with the parity prices of other agricultural commodities, the Secretary may, and upon the request of a substantial number of interested producers shall, hold public hearings to determine the proper relationship between the parity price of such commodity and the parity prices of other agricultural commodities. Within sixty days after commencing such hearing the Secretary shall complete such hearing, proclaim his findings as to whether the facts require a revision of the method of computing the parity price of such commodity, and put into effect any revision so found to be required.

(G) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, the parity price for any basic agricultural commodity, as of any date during the six-year period beginning January 1, 1950, shall not be less than its parity price computed in the manner used prior to the enactment of the Agricultural Act of 1949.

[Prior to enactment of the Agricultural Acts of 1948 and 1949, the term "parity" was defined in sec. 301 (a) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, as amended, as follows: "Parity', as applied to prices for any agricultural commodity, shall be that price for the

commodity which will give to the commodity a purchasing power with respect to articles that farmers buy equivalent to the purchasing power of such commodity in the base period; and, in the case of all commodities for which the base period is the period August 1909 to July 1914, which will also reflect current interest payments per acre on farm indebtedness secured by real estate, tax payments per acre on farm real estate, and freight rates, as contrasted with such interest payments, tax payments, and freight rates during the base period. The base period in case of all agricultural commodities except tobacco shall be the period August 1909 to July 1914. In the case of all kinds of tobacco except Burley and flue-cured such base period shall be the period August 1919 to July 1929, and, in the case of Burley and flue-cured tobacco, shall be the period August 1934 to July 1939; except that the August 1919-July 1929 base period shall be used in allocating any funds appropriated prior to September 1, 1940." (52 Stat. 38, 54 Stat. 1210.)]

(2) "Parity", as applied to income, shall be that gross income from agriculture which will provide the farm operator and his family with a standard of living equivalent to those afforded persons dependent upon other gainful occupations. "Parity" as applied to income from any agricultural commodity for any year, shall be that gross income which bears the same relationship to parity income from agriculture for such year as the average gross income from such commodity for the preceding ten calendar years bears to the average gross income from agriculture for such ten calendar years.

(3) The term "interstate and foreign commerce" means sale, marketing, trade, and traffic between any State or Territory or the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico, and any place outside thereof; or between points within the same State or Territory or within the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico, through any place outside thereof; or within any Territory or within the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico.

(4) The term "affect interstate and foreign commerce" means, among other things, in such commerce, or to burden or obstruct such commerce or the free and orderly flow thereof; or to create or tend to create a surplus of any agricultural commodity which burdens or obstructs such commerce or the free and orderly flow thereof.

(5) The term "United States" means the several States and Territories and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

(6) The term "State" includes a Territory and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

(7) The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Agriculture, and the term "Department" means the Department of Agriculture.

(8) The term "person" means an individual, partnership, firm, joint-stock company, corporation, association, trust, estate, or any agency of a State.

(9) The term "corn" means field corn. (7 U.S.C. 1301 (a).)

[Agricultural Act of 1948. SEc. 302 (f). All references in other laws to

For Maryland tobacco the base period is August 1936 to July 1941 (Pub. L. 897, 80th Cong., 62 Stat. 1248, approved July 3, 1948). Pub. L. 897, 80th Cong., 62 Stat. 1258, approved July 3, 1948.

(1) parity,

(2) parity prices,

(3) prices comparable to parity prices, or

(4) prices to be determined in the same manner as provided by the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 prior to its amendment by this Act for the determination of parity prices,

with respect to prices for agricultural commodities and products thereof, shall hereafter be deemed to refer to parity prices as determined in accordance with the provisions of section 301 (a) (1) of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, as amended by this Act. (7 U.S.C. 1301a.)]

ONS

(b) DEFINITIONS APPLICABLE TO ONE OR MORE COMMODITIES.-For the purposes of this title—

(1) (A) "Actual production" as applied to any acreage of corn means the number of bushels of corn which the local committee determines would be harvested as grain from such acreage if all the corn on such acreage were so harvested. In case of a disagreement between the farmer and the local committee as to the actual production of the acreage of corn on the farm, or in case the local committee determines that such actual production is substantially below normal, the local committee, in accordance with regulations of the Secretary, shall weigh representative samples of ear corn taken from the acreage involved, make proper deductions for moisture content, and determine the actual production of such acreage on the basis of such samples.

(B) "Actual production" of any number of acres of cotton, rice or peanuts on a farm means the actual average yield for the farm times such number of acres.

(2) "Bushel" means in the case of ear corn that amount of ear corn, including not to exceed 1512 per centum of moisture content, which weighs seventy pounds, and in the case of shelled corn, means that amount of shelled corn including not to exceed 1512 per centum of moisture content, which weighs fifty-six pounds.

(3) (A) "Carry-over," in the case of corn, rice, and peanuts for any marketing year shall be the quantity of the commodity on hand in the United States at the beginning of such marketing year, not including any quantity which was produced in the United States during the calendar year then current.

(B) "Carry-over" of cotton for any marketing year shall be the quantity of cotton on hand in the United States at the beginning of such marketing year, not including any part of the crop which was produced in the United States during the calendar year then current.

[NOTE. As orignally enacted this term included domestically produced cotton on hand within or without the United States. A new definition, excluding American cotton on hand outside the United States, was enacted in Sec. 201(c) of the Agricultural Act of 1948 (62 Stat. 1250). The definition was changed again by Sec. 2(a) of Pub. L. 272, 81st Cong., approved August 29, 1949 (63 Stat. 675), to include all cotton on hand in the United States whether produced within or without the United States. Sec. 415(e) of the Agricultural Act of 1949 (63 Stat. 1056) repealed Sec. 201(c) of the Agricultural Act of 1948. Therefore, the provision now in effect is the definition appearing herein which is the definition enacted by Pub. L. 272, 81st Cong.]