AGRICULTURAL RELIEF

Mr. JoNEs. More than half of that.

Mr. CaverNo. Yes; more than half of that. Think of losing out
of the South $3,000,000,000 because we could not handle 2,000,000
bales of cotton.

Mr. AsweLL. We could handle it with my bill as well as the Haugen
bill, in fact, better and it is a lot more simple.

Mr. CaverNo. Yes; but it would not bring the same result.

Mr. CLARKE. Does that finish your statement?

Mr. CaverNo. One thing more. I spoke about having a cen-
tralized board to protect the interests of the farmers. I have here
the figures on cotton freights in the South—Doctor Aswell, I want
you to get this: Do you know that you can send a car of glass bottles
from New Orelans to New York for one-half what you can a car of
cotton?

If the board is powerful enough——

Mr. AsweLL. That is for the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Mr. CaverNo. Exactly. You made out that the cooperatives
have not done very much. They have spent $20,000 in a fight for
lower freight rates for the benfit of all cotton growers.

Mr. AsweLL. I do not accept that statement. I did not say that
the cooperatives are not doing very much. I said they were being
destroyed by the overhead expenses, and I still say that; and the
McNary-Haugen bill will put the cooperatives out of business; you
will not have any cooperatives left.

Mr. Caverno. It costs to ship from Hot Springs, Ark., to St.
Louis, a car of mineral water, 92 cents, and it costs to ship a car of
cotton from Hot Springs, Ark., to St. Louis, $337.50.

Mr. AsweLL. How much difference is there in weight?

Mr. CaverNo. One of them is 24,000 pounds, the mineral water;
and the other 37,500 pounds.

Mr. AsweLL. You mean $92.40?

Mr. CaveErNo. I mean $92.40 as against $337 for cotton.

Mr. JoxNEs. There must be a big demand for bottles in St. Louis
and New York.

Mr. AsweLL. That information does not have anything to do
with the Haugen bill or the equaliaztion fee.

Mr. Caverno. It has to do with the board protecting the inter-
ests of agriculture.

Mr. AsweLL. That might be it exactly. That was provided for in
Mr. Yoakum’s plan.

Mr. CaverNo. But you can not get these northern men to agree
upon a bill that will give something to cotton and will not give anv-
thing to them.

The CralrMAN. Have you concluded your remarks?

Mr. Caverno. I think I might as well.

The CrarMAN. It is up to you.

Mr. Caverno. If Doctor Aswell will put the equalization bee in
his bill it will be a satisfactory bill.

Mr. AsweLL. Would that be satisfactory to the President or to you?

Mr. Caverno. I am not the White House spokesman.

The CrairMAN. Without objection, the committee will stand in
recess until 10 o’clock to-morrow morning.

(Thereupon, at 11.45 o’clock a. m. the committee adjourned to
meet to-morrow, Tuesday, February 21, 1928, at 10 o’clock, a. m.)