been almost entirely lacking. In view of the importance of meat and lard in total food production, reliable estimates for meat and lard production on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis are urgently needed by all the agencies and individuals concerned with the production of meats and other foodstuffs, and the allocation and effective distribution of food supplies. Because slaughter is such an important factor in the livestock industry, producers, handlers, and processors all are keenly interested in obtaining a complete picture of this item of livestock disappearance. The Department of Agriculture, too, will benefit from having these data available, in that the more complete and accurate information on meats and lards will round out the knowledge of total food production, and the seasonality of food production and supplies. Such information will have inestimable value in the intelligent appraisal of our United States food resources and in any relevant actions that appear to be required on the part of Government agencies. The increase of $107,000 was to be used for making monthly estimates of nonfederally inspected slaughter, to be based on voluntary returns from slaughterers reporting the number of head and total liveweight of each species of animal slaughtered. Monthly estimates of slaughter on farms would also be inaugurated based on information obtained from farmer respondents. Estimates would be issued, by States, on numbers slaughtered and total liveweight; also on the amount of lard rendered on farms. Under the reduction none of this work can be done. BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS No. 6. Salaries and expenses (District of Columbia salary limitation) (P. 10, lines 16-17) Page 10, lines 16-17: The District of Columbia salary limitation of $1,988,589 carried in the House bill is a reduction of $196,961 below the amount of $2,185,550 provided in the Budget estimates, and is based upon the House reductions of $485,543 in the item "Economic investigations," and $107,000 in the item "Crop and livestock estimates." Restoration of this limitation would be dependent upon action taken with respect to the "Economic investigations" and "Crop and livestock estimates" items. OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATOR, AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION No. 7. Salaries and expenses (Provision for work on agricultural research in Alaska) (P. 15, lines 13-15) Page 15, lines 13-15: The amount of $480,500 carried in the House bill is an increase of $20,000 above the Budget estimate which is specifically designated by the following new language added by the House: ", and including not to exceed $20,000 for special exploratory investigations of agricultural problems of Alaska”, The House bill provides $20,000 above the Budget estimate for the Office of Administrator, Agricultural Research Administration, for special exploratory investigations of agricultural problems of Alaska, but omits a number of increases (see tabulation below) for departmental research on Alaskan agricultural problems which were included in the Budget estimates for bureaus of the Agricultural Research Administration. On this point, the House committee report (p. 7) states, in part, as follows: "These proposals appear to presage a far-reaching program of research in Alaska, the total cost of which may, in the course of time, involve a very large aggregate sum. The committee is of the opinion a program of this sort should not be initiated without a very careful survey of the needs and of the possibilities of worth-while results, so that an over-all program may be formulated as the basis upon which to make initial appropriations. "The committee has, therefore, disallowed the several items proposed for these researches and has provided, instead, an appropriation of $20,000 to defray the expenses of a survey of the kind referred to. This appropriation has been made to the Administrator of this agency with the view that he will select the proper technical personnel from the several bureaus under his jurisdiction and will plan and supervise their surveys and submit his recommendations in the premises in connection with next year's budget requests.' The technicians who would make the investigation provided for in the House bill would be assigned largely, if not altogether, from the Department's regular staff. The amount of $20,000 provided is primarily for the payment of the travel and other incidental expenses of the survey party. This would not of course preclude the use of the fund for the employment of temporary personnel services, in addition to the assigned staff, if the necessities of the work required. The exploratory investigations would be conducted in cooperation with the Alaska Agricultural Experiment Station and other Territorial officials.. List of budget increases in bureaus of the Agricultural Research Administration disallowed in the House bill in view of the survey provisions included in this appropriation item: Bureau of Animal Industry: Diseases of animals (for research on diseases Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering: $10,000 Agricultural engineering (for development and improvement of agricultural engineering practices). Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine: Insect investigations (for research on insects affecting crops) Soils, fertilizers, and irrigation (for research on soil types suitable for agricultural use)___ 12, 500 50, 000 12, 500 3,500 Total 88, 500 OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS No. 8. Payments to States, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico for agricultural experiment stations Page 17, line 24: The amount of $2,663,708 carried in the House bill is a reduction of $336,292 below the Budget estimate. The increase of $336,292 submitted in the Budget estimate, but disallowed in the House bill, would bring the Federal appropriations for payments to the States for the work of the State Agricultural Experiment Stations up to the $3,000,000 authorized by title I of the Bankhead-Jones Act of 1935. Such funds are needed at this time to assist in meeting increased costs of research and to enable the State stations to continue to render effective service to agriculture in all parts of the country. 66* * * The committee The House committee report states in part (p. 7): does not doubt the value of agricultural research carried on by these State experiment stations but it is felt that if additional work is needed relating to the agricultural problems in particular States that the several States are far more able financially to provide the funds for carrying on the additional work than is the Federal Government." Federal-grant research funds may be used by State Agricultural Experiment Stations to cooperate with other experiment stations and the Federal Government on problems which transcend State lines and which the individual stations often cannot undertake alone. Participation in such research has permitted the individual States to secure results and corresponding benefits much more efficiently, than by single State attack, due to pooling of facilities and the resources of trained specialist staffs. The effect of the House action is to limit the ability of the State Agricultural Experiment Stations to participate in and take full advantage of such cooperative research since State appropriations, even though increased, usually are made specifically for and are limited in their use to research on problems of local importance within each individual State. APPROPRIATION BILL FOR 1947 86192 HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE SEVENTY-NINTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON H. R. 5605 A BILL MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1946 |