Mr. CLARKSON. Well, I am talking about wild animals. Mr. POAGE. Wild animals. Now, Australia and New Zealand do not have any ticks; do they? Mr. CLARKSON. There are cattle fever ticks in Australia, but not in New Zealand. Mr. POAGE. That is what I mean, so that New Zealand and Canada are about the only areas that can import into the United States and northern Mexico? Mr. CLARKSON. That is correct. Mr. POAGE. What about Puerto Rico; they have ticks, don't they? Mr. CLARKSON. Yes, sir. Mr. POAGE. And what do you do about shipping from Puerto Rico into the United States, shipping a lot of animals? Mr. CLARKSON. We have been engaged with the Commonwealth in a cooperative tick-eradication effort and that is about completed. They can move in here by being free of ticks from Puerto Rico, that is an interstate movement under our laws. Mr. POAGE. Yes-you mean you have dropped all quarantine against Puerto Rico? Mr. CLARKSON. Well, we still have an interstate quarantine but, as you suggested a while ago, the provisions of the quarantine can be met. Mr. POAGE. What about the Virgin Islands, they cannot move into Puerto Rico, I understand. Mr. CLARKSON. That is the same thing, they are infested with ticks in the Virgin Islands and the same interstate requirements would apply for movement into Puerto Rico. Mr. POAGE. But if they cleaned up they can move on to Puerto Rico? Mr. CLARKSON. Yes. Mr. POAGE. Of course, they get most of their cattle from the British Islands in the Virgin Islands and this tick law is not as strict as the other, is it, if you move from a tick-infested country to another country, you can move them from the second country to the United States even though originating from a tick country? Mr. CLARKSON. Yes, sir. Mr. POAGE. In other words, if you move them from Cuba to Canada, which is a rather inconceivable situation, but if you do move them, then you could move them back into the United States? Mr. CLARKSON. That is correct and we would raise no question about that. Mr. POAGE. Well, isn't that a rather silly thing? Mr. CLARKSON. Well, I think it comes back to this, that that is the way the law provides and I would not recommend a change because it carries with it the promise that if these countries get busy and clean up they can create pretty good trade. Mr. HARVEY. Have you any instance to your knowledge where that circuitous route was used to bring livestock to our own area? Mr. CLARKSON. Yes; in Mexico it came about that cattle were brought in from South America and a year later moved on into the United States Mr. HARVEY. Well, I had particular reference in this instance to the case of tick-infested cattle, whether you had any direct knowledge of cattle being brought in by way of Canada to evade the tick requirement. Mr. CLARKSON. No, sir; I have not. Mr. POAGE. As a matter of fact, as far as Cuba, all they have to do to send them to the American market is to skip to Mexico then have them dipped three times and then send them to Fort Worth or Kansas City. Mr. CLARKSON. That could be done, as described earlier. Mr. HARVEY. But you do not know whether it is being done? Mr. CLARKSON. To the best of my knowledge it is not. I think we would know about it if it was done, outside of an occasional animal. We might find out only afterwards, but I am sure we would find out-people talk. Mr. POAGE. Any further questions? (No response.) Mr. POAGE. Thank you very much. (Whereupon, at 11:15 a. m. the subcommittee retired into executive session.) ESTABLISHMENT OF FEDERAL DAIRY STABILIZATION BOARD THURSDAY, MAY 1, 1958 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, The committee met pursuant to notice at 10: 10 a. m., in room 1310 New House Office Building, Hon. Harold D. Cooley (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in order. Mr. Secretary, we are delighted to have you with us this morning. The committee recognizes the chairman of the Dairy Subcommittee, Congressman Abernethy, or, Mr. Secretary, do you prefer making your statement and thereafter being interrogated? Secretary BENSON. Mr. Chairman, I have a prepared statement. I can cut it short if you desire. The CHAIRMAN. We do not wish you to cut your statement short, but we remind the members, and everyone present, that the House meets at 11, and we are hopeful we can conclude before the House convenes. You may proceed to present your statement, and omit those parts which contain details of the bill, unless some members of the committee desire to interrogate you about provisions of the bill. Mr. ABERNETHY. Mr. Chairman, before he does that, may I make a brief statement? The reason I ask the privilege at this time, Mr. Secretary, is that I simply want to state that the bills which are entitled "Self-Help Bills" have created a tremendous interest throughout the Dairy Belt, and when I say the Dairy Belt, that includes all of the 48 States because the dairy industry extends into every State and every corner of the United States. There have been 13, and possibly more, but I know of 13 of these bills which have been introduced. I would like to read into the record at this time the names of the members who have introduced the bills. They are: Mr. Bow, Mrs. St. George, Mr. Westland, I introduced one by request, Mr. Laird, Mr. Knox, and the late Mr. Smith of Wisconsin, Mr. Van Pelt, Mr. Withrow, Mr. Tewes, Mr. Tollefson, Mr. Bennett of Michigan, and I think Mr. Bow introduced a second bill. There may be others, Mr. Chairman, and if there are I will add their names to the record. Now the appeal for this legislation seems to have been quite heavy. I do not know whether the appeal is because of the intriguing name which the program bears, or whether it is because of the program, 29255-58-3 27 |