AGRICULTURAL RELIEF

Mr. Fort. It is probably my stupidity, Mr. Bledsoe; I did not
get it.

Mr. BLeEpsor. It is in the record, just exactly my idea of the
degree of effectiveness of any proposal that has been put here by
you. We think the equalization fee must go in to settle the dif-
ferences——

Mr. Fort (interposing). Let me say this, Mr. Bledsoe: There
are some of us who are constitutionally unable to vote for anything
which we believe to be unconstitutional.

Mr. Brepsoe. That is a good position to be in.

Mr. Fort. Some of us believe that to be fair.

If we take up the propositions proposed by the Haugen bill in
the order of its history, it proposes to set up a board to contract
with cooperatives, and you feel that they can not handle this surplus.

Mr. BLEpsOE. Not the way you propose it.

Mr. Fort. But your cooperatives can handle the surplus under
your proposition?

Mr. BLEpsoEk. Eventually, if you apply that fee.

Mr. Fort. I am talking about your insurance proposition, now.

Mr. BLEDpsoE. I don’t think they could; no.

Mr. Fort. Well, you feel that the cooperatives can not do the job
as they are now organized with their present membership and that
therefore it would be necessary, if you are going to attempt to
handle this surplus by this board, to adopt the alternative of the bill,
which permits the set-up of a contract with some other agency to
do the job.

Mr. BLEpsoE. I think they could operate it.

Mr. Fort. This bill provides for the financing of that corporation
through an equalization fee. Those of us who have opposed the
equalization fee, which is fundamental to the proposals in this bill,
and who say a corporation should be set up by the cooperative
associations to do this job, and who say that it should be financed
through a loan of the working capital they need—and the Haugen
bill proposes that we shall set up that corporation until the
cooperatives are able to do this and shali finance it through an
equalization fee.

Now, what I want to know is, do you feel that the nub of the
whole proposal is that the financing, in order for this corporation to
work at all, must be done through an equalization fee or that this
corporation, which is identical in structure presumably as a corporate
entity under either bill, can operate when 1t is financed otherwise?

Mr. BLEDsOE. I am constitutionally opposed to having the Govern-
ment offer cooperatives money—you understand that there is to be
no profit to the Government, or that——

Mr. Fort (interposirig). I did not propose or say that the Govern-
ment would receive a profit.

Mr. BLepsok. I thought from your question with reference to the
equalization fee, that you intimated there would be a tremendous
profit in this proposition.

Mr. Fort. For the cooperators.

Mr. BLeEpsog. Understand that I do not want to receive any
money in that manner of working, by taking it away from any other
farmer, just because they are individuals.

Mr. Fort. Aren’t vou taking it from them?

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