APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1954 HEARINGS BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS EIGHTY-THIRD CONGRESS FIRST SESSION SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS WALT HORAN, Washington OAKLEY HUNTER, California JAMIE L. WHITTEN, Mississippi ROSS P. POPE, Executive Secretary to the Subcommittee 30505 PART 3 Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1953 COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS JOHN TABER, New York, Chairman RICHARD B. WIGGLESWORTH, Massachusetts H. CARL ANDERSEN, Minnesota IVOR D. FENTON, Pennsylvania JOHN PHILLIPS, California FREDERIC R. COUDERT, JR., New York NORRIS COTTON, New Hampshire BENJAMIN F. JAMES, Pennsylvania CHARLES R. JONAS, North Carolina OTTO KRUEGER, North Dakota MELVIN R. LAIRD, Wisconsin ELFORD A. CEDERBERG, Michigan CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri J. VAUGHAN GARY, Virginia ANTONIO M. FERNANDEZ, New Mexico OTTO E. PASSMAN, Louisiana ALFRED D. SIEMINSKI, New Jersey GEORGE Y. HARVEY, Clerk (II) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1954 THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1953. STATEMENT OF THE SECRETARY WITNESSES HON. EZRA TAFT BENSON, SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE ROBERT L. FARRINGTON, ACTING DIRECTOR, AGRICULTURAL KARL D. LOOS, SOLICITOR, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Mr. ANDERSEN. The committee will come to order, gentlemen. We are pleased to have with us once again the Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Ezra T. Benson. Mr. Secretary, the committee has received a copy of your order of January 21 realining the activities of the Department into four main groups, and also the supplement issued March 10 adding the new Foreign Agricultural Service. DEPARTMENTAL REORGANIZATIONAL PLAN I note from the press this morning that a plan for the reorganization of the Agricultural Department was sent to the Congress yesterday. In view of the importance of these plans to the appropriation requirements of the Department, the committee would like to take this opportunity to discuss them with you. Will you bring the committee up to date on the organization changes you have made thus far and the changes you have in mind for the future? Secretary BENSON. I do not know how well prepared I am on the reorganization plan, but I will be happy to do what I can. Mr. ANDERSEN. Thank you. Secretary BENSON. We have copies of the plan here, Mr. Chairman. DEVELOPMENT OF PROPOSED PLAN Maybe I could make a brief statement as to background, Mr. Chairman. Then, if you wish, we might read the proposed plan. It is only 3 pages, and might give us the picture. Mr. ANDERSEN. That will be satisfactory. Secretary BENSON. Sometime before I was installed as Secretary of Agriculture, a committee began work on a study of the organization of the Department of Agriculture. Mr. John Davis, who was later made a member of the Secretary's staff, was chairman of that committee. They, of course, had the benefit of the Hoover Commission report. They had the benefit of a report, as I recall it, made under the chairmanship of Milton Eisenhower a number of years ago. They had help from several independent agencies. I might say that I consulted with them in the latter stages of it, before I was installed but after I had been named Secretary-designate. Out of that study came a report on the reorganization of the Department of Agriculture. However, before it was recommended to the President's Reorganization Committee we took it before the National Agricultural Advisory Committee the President had appointed. They spent a full day and most or a good part of the night on it. We also took it to the heads of the major farm organizations and consulted with them. We discussed it with some of the leaders in Congress. In the meantime I was selecting my staff, and I consulted with them about it. Later, after the staff was selected, it was reviewed and studied by them. Then, when we thought it was ready, we submitted it to the President's 3-man Committee on Government Reorganization, with Nelson Rockefeller as Chairman. Arthur Flemming and Milton Eisenhower are the other two members. We have spent a good deal of time with that committee on the plan. Finally, they felt it was ready to recommend. It then went to the Bureau of the Budget where it was again reviewed carefully and further consultation was had with the President's Reorganization Committee. Finally it was submitted to the President and came before the Cabinet. I was present at the meeting. There were 3 or 4 plans, as I recall it, which came before that meeting, one of which has already preceded ours to the Congress, for the Federal Security Agency, under Mrs. Hobby. I think ours is the second one. The plan is a rather simple one, and yet it is very important. It does give the Secretary more authority than he has now. It provides for some additional help. I believe at this point we might read it, Mr. Chairman. Mr. ANDERSEN. Go ahead, sir. Mr. BENSON. Section 1. Transfer of functions to the Secretary. (a) Subject to the exceptions specified in subsection (b) of this section, there are hereby transferred to the Secretary of Agriculture all functions not now vested in him of all other officers, and of all agencies and employees, of the Department of Agriculture. (b) This section shall not apply to the functions vested by the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U. S. C. 1001 et seq.) in hearing examiners employed by the Department of Agriculture nor to the functions of (1) the corporations of the Department of Agriculture, (2) the boards of directors and officers of such corporations, (3) the Advisory Board of the Commodity Credit Corporation, or (4) the Farm Credit Administration or any agency, officer, or entity of, under, or subject to the supervision of the said Administration. |