Chapter 1172 2d Session H. R. 9756 AN ACT All 68 Stat. 1047. To increase the borrowing power of Commodity Credit Corporation, Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section of Commodity Credit the Act approved March 8, 1938 (52 Stat. 108), as amended, is Corporation. amended by striking out "$8,500,000,000" and inserting in lieu thereof Borrowing power. "$10,000,000,000". SEC. 2. Section 4 (i) of the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter 15 USC 713a-4. Act (62 Stat. 1070), as amended, is amended by striking out $8,500,- 15 USC 714b(1). 000,000" and inserting in lieu thereof "$10,000,000,000“. SEC. 3. (a) Section 8e of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (of Importation of 1933), as amended, and as reenacted and amended by the Agricultural mangoes. Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as amended, is amended by insert- Ante, p. 907. ing after "avocados" a comma and the word "mangoes". (b) The amendment made by this section shall become effective upon the enactment of this Act or upon the enactment of the Agricultural Act of 1954, whichever occurs later. Approved August 31, 1954. To provide for greater stability in agriculture; to augment the marketing and disposal of agricultural products; and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the "Agricultural sot United States of America in Congress assembled, of 1954." 63 Stat. 1051. Dairy produots. Polioy of Cangress. supports. TITLE I-SET ASIDE OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES TITLE II-AMENDMENTS TO AGRICULTURAL ACT OF (b) Section 201 (c) of the Agricultural Act of 1949, as amended, is amended to read as follows: Milk, eto,, price "(c) The price of whole milk, butterfat, and the products of such commodities, respectively, shall be supported at such level not in excess of 90 per centum nor less than 75 per centum of the parity price therefor as the Secretary determines necessary in order to assure an adequate supply. Such price support shall be provided through loans on, or purchases of, milk and the products of milk and butterfat, and for the period ending March 31, 1956, surplus stocks of dairy products owned by the Commodity Credit Corporation may be disposed of by any methods determined necessary by the Secretary. Beginning September 1, 1954, and ending June 30, 1956, not to exceed $50,000,000 annually of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation shall be used to increase the consumption of fluid milk by children in non-profit schools of high school grade and under.” School oonsumption of fluid milk. Disposal programs. 7 USC 1281; (c) In order to prevent the accumulation of excessive inventories of dairy products the Secretary of Agriculture shall undertake domestic disposal programs under authorities granted in the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 and the Agricultural Act of 1949, as amended, or as otherwise authorized by law. (d) Title II of the Agricultural Act of 1949, as amended, is amended by adding at the end thereof the following: "SEC. 202. As a means of increasing the utilization of dairy products, (including for purposes of this section, milk) upon the certification by the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs or by the Secretary of the Army, acting for the military departments under the Depart ment of Defense's Single Service Purchase Assignment for Subsistence, or their duly authorized representatives that the usual quantities of dairy products have been purchased in the normal channels of trade "(a) The Commodity Credit Corporation until December 31, 1956, Veterans' hosshall make available to the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs at ware- pitals. houses where dairy products are stored, such dairy products acquired under price-support programs as the Administrator certifies that he requires in order to provide butter and cheese and other dairy products as a part of the ration in hospitals under his jurisdiction. The Admin- Report to Conistrator shall report monthly to the Committees on Agriculture of the gress. Senate and House of Representatives and the Secretary of Agriculture the amount of dairy products used under this subsection. "(b) The Commodity Credit Corporation until December 31, 1956, Armed Services, shall make available to the Secretary of the Army, at warehouses ration. where dairy products are stored, such dairy products acquired under price-support programs as the Secretary of the Army or his duly authorized representative certifies can be utilized in order to provide additional butter and cheese and other dairy products as a part of the ration of the Army, Navy, or Air Force, and as a part of the ration in hospitals under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense. The Report to ConSecretary of the Army shall report every six months to the Committees gress. on Agriculture of the Senate and the House of Representatives and the Secretary of Agriculture the amount of dairy products used under this subsection. "(c) Dairy products made available under this section shall be made Costs of packavailable without charge, except that the Secretary of the Army or the aging. Administrator of Veterans' Affairs shall pay the Commodity Credit Corporation the costs of packaging incurred in making such products so available. "(d) The obligation of the Commodity Credit Corporation to make dairy products available pursuant to the above shall be limited to dairy products acquired by the Corporation through price-support operations and not disposed of under provisions (1) and (2) of section 416 of this Act, as amended." (e) As a means of stabilizing the dairy industry and further sup- Brucellosis. pressing and eradicating brucellosis in cattle the Secretary is author- Transfer of ized to transfer not to exceed $15,000,000 annually for a period of two funds. years from funds available to the Commodity Credit Corporation to the appropriation item "Plant and Animal Disease and Pest Control" in the Department of Agriculture Appropriation Act, 1955, for the Ante, p. 304. purpose of accelerating the brucellosis eradication program, for the purpose of increasing to not to exceed $50 per head of cattle the amount of the indemnities paid by the Federal Government for cattle destroyed because of brucellosis in connection with cooperative control and eradication programs for such disease in cattle entered into by the Secretary under the authority of the Act of May 29, 1884, as amended, 23 Stat. 31. for the purpose of increasing the number of such indemnities, and for 7 USC 391. the purpose of defraying any additional administrative expenses in connection therewith. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated annually such sums as may be necessary to reimburse the Commodity Credit Corporation for expenditures pursuant to this section. (f) The Secretary of Agriculture is directed to make a study of the Studies of provarious methods of production control and of the various methods of duction control price support which could be made applicable to milk and butterfat and price supand their products, including programs to be operated and financed port. by dairymen; and to submit to Congress on or before the 3d day of Report to ConJanuary, 1955, a detailed report thereof showing among other things gress. the probable costs and effects of each type of operation studied and the legislation, if any, needed to put it into effect. The purpose of the study and report is to develop basic material which can be used 55-000 0-71-34 Short title. Price sup ports. Payments. by Congress in formulating an improved agricultural program for milk and butterfat and their products. Alternative programs are to be submitted for consideration by Congress and for possible submission to a referendum of dairy farmers. The Secretary may conduct such hearings and receive such statements and briefs in connection with such study as he deems appropriate. TITLE VII-NATIONAL WOOL ACT OF 1934 SEC. 701. This title may be cited as the "National Wool Act of 1954." SEC. 702. It is hereby recognized that wool is an essential and strategic commodity which is not produced in quantities and grades in the United States to meet the domestic needs and that the desired domestic production of wool is impaired by the depressing effects of wide Huctuations in the price of wool in the world markets. It is hereby declared to be the policy of Congress, as a measure of national security and in promotion of the general economic welfare, to encourage the annual domestic production of approximately three hundred million pounds of shorn wool, grease basis, at prices fair to both producers and consumers in a manner which will have the least adverse effects upon foreign trade. SEC. 703. The Secretary of Agriculture shall, through the Commodity Credit Corporation, support the prices of wool and mohair, respectively, to the producers thereof by means of loans, purchases, payments, or other operations. Such price support shall be limited to wool and mohair marketed during the period beginning April 1, 1955, and ending March 31, 1959. The support price for shorn wool shall be at such incentive level as the Secretary, after consultation with producer representatives, and after taking into consideration prices paid and other cost conditions affecting sheep production, determines to be necessary in order to encourage an annual production consistent with the declared policy of this title: Provided, That the support price for shorn wool shall not exceed 110 per centum of the parity price therefor. If the support price so determined does not exceed 90 per centum of the parity price for shorn wool, the support price for shorn wool shall be at such level, not in excess of 90 per centum nor less than 60 per centum of the parity price therefor, as the Secretary determines necessary in order to encourage an annual production of approximately three hundred and sixty million pounds of shorn wool. The support prices for pulled wool and for mohair shall be established at such levels, in relationship to the support price for shorn wool, as the Secretary determines will maintain normal marketing practices for pulled wool, and as the Secretary shall determine is necessary to maintain approximately the same percentage of parity for mohair as for shorn wool. The deviation of mohair support prices shall not be calculated so as to cause it to rise or fall more than 15 per centum above or below the comparable percentage of parity at which shorn wool is supported. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no price support shall be made available, other than through payments, at a level in excess of 90 per centum of the parity price for the commodity. The Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, announce the support price levels for wool and mohair sufficiently in advance of each marketing year as will permit producers to plan their production for such marketing year. SEC. 704. If payments are utilized as a means of price support, the payments shall be such as the Secretary of Agriculture determines to be sufficient, when added to the national average price received by producers, to give producers a national average return for the commodity equal to the support price level therefor: Provided, That the total of all such payments made under this Act shall not at any time exceed an amount equal to 70 per centum of the accumulated totals, as of the same date, of the gross receipts from specific duties (whether or not such specific duties are parts of compound rates) collected on and after January 1, 1953, on all articles subject to duty under schedule 11 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended. The payments shall be made 46 Stat. 646. upon wool and mohair marketed by the producers thereof, but any 19 USC 1001, wool or mohair produced prior to January 1, 1955, shall not be the par. 1101 subject of payments. The payments shall be at such rates for the et seq. marketing year or periods thereof as the Secretary determines will give producers the support price level as herein provided. Payments to any producer need not be made if the Secretary determines that the amount of the payment to the producer or all producers is too small to justify the cost of making such payments. The Secretary may make the payment to producers through the marketing agency to or through whom the producer marketed his wool or mohair: Provided, That such marketing agency agrees to receive and promptly distribute the payments on behalf of such producers. In case any person who is entitled to any such payment dies, becomes incompetent, or disappears before receiving such payment, or is succeeded by another who renders or completes the required performance, the payment shall, without regard to any other provisions of law, be made as the Secretary may determine to be fair and reasonable in all the circumstances and provided by regulation. SEC. 705. For the purpose of reimbursing the Commodity Credit CCC reimburseCorporation for any expenditures made by it in connection with pay- ment. ments to producers under this title, there is hereby appropriated for each fiscal year beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1956, an amount equal to the total of expenditures made by the Corporation during the preceding fiscal year and to any amounts expended in prior fiscal years not previously reimbursed: Provided, however, that such amounts appropriated for any fiscal year shall not exceed 70 per centum of the gross receipts from specific duties (whether or not such specific duties are parts of compound rates) collected during the period January 1 to December 31, both inclusive, preceding the beginning of each such fiscal year on all articles subject to duty under schedule 11 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended. For the purposes of 19 USC 1001, the appraisal under the Act of March 8, 1938, as amended (15 U. S. C. par. 1101 et seq. 713a-1), the Commodity Credit Corporation shall establish on its 52 Stat. 107. books an account receivable in an amount equal to any amount expended by Commodity Credit Corporation in connection with payments pursuant to this title which has not been reimbursed from appropriations made hereunder. SEC. 706. Except as otherwise provided in this title, the amounts, Determination terms, and conditions of the price support operations and the extent of support to which such operations are carried out shall be determined or ap- operations by proved by the Secretary of Agriculture. The Secretary may, in Secretary. determining support prices and rates of payment, make adjustments in such prices or rates for differences in grade, quality, type, location, and other factors to the extent he deems practicable and desirable. Determinations by the Secretary under this title shall be final and conclusive. The facts constituting the basis for any operation, payment, or amount thereof when officially determined in conformity with applicable regulations prescribed by the Secretary shall be final and conclusive and shall not be reviewable by any other officer or agency of the Government. SEC. 707. The term "marketing year" as used in this title means the "Marketing twelve-month period beginning April 1 of each calendar year or, for year." either wool or mohair, such other period, or periods for prescribed areas, as the Secretary may determine to be desirable to effectuate the purpose of this title. |