Mr. Chairman, I ask that a copy of a letter to me, urging extension of the National Wool Act, from the Governor of the State of Utah, George D. Clyde, as well as a similar one to me from the Utah State Department of Agriculture be printed in the hearing record. I conclude my remarks with an expressed hope that the Committee on Agriculture shortly will be able to report H. R. 10049 to the House for floor action. I thank you for your courtesy. Hon. ARTHUR V. WATKINS, EXHIBIT 1 STATE OF UTAH, Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C. DEAR SENATOR WATKINS: I have recently reviewed the report to Congress from the American sheep industry. I have long been aware of the problems of the sheep men in Utah and have watched with interest the effect of the incentive payment program provided by the National Wool Act. I am sure it has been helpful to the sheep and wool industry. It has brought stability to the industry and in many cases prevented the liquidation of long time sheep operators. The sheep and wool industry is not entirely out of the woods, but it is improving. I believe an extension of the National Wool Act is essential to continued improvement and stability of this industry. DEAR SENATOR WATKINS: We, the Utah State Department of Agriculture, would like to be placed on record at the hearings to be held February 6 and 7, as very much in favor of the continuation of the 1954 Wool Act. The sheep industry was very much in favor of a protective tariff that would protect the industry from imports of wool coming into this country and sold below the cost of production in the United States. Inasmuch as it was impossible to get a tariff high enough to protect the industry, the 1954 Wool Act was passed. We feel that the act has saved the sheep industry from bankruptcy. When foreign wool is allowed to be purchased in this country at prices lower than the cost of production, the sheep industry would be in jeopardy and would result in sheep numbers being reduced to a point where we may find ourselves in a bad position so far as national defense is concerned. We all know that wool is a very important product in times of war; in clothing our soldiers as well as our people at home. The sheep industry plays an important part in our agricultural economy in the Western States. The crop can be harvested from many millions of acres of mountain ranges and desert lands by sheep that would otherwise go to waste. Anything you can do to secure the passage of this bill will be greatly appreciated, as the future of the sheep industry is dependent upon such legislation. With very best regards. Yours sincerely, ALDEN K. Barton, STATEMENT OF EDWIN E. MARSH, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF NATIONAL WOOL GROWERS ASSOCIATION, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I would like to request that this statement be included in the record as a supplement to the testimony presented for our organization by our president, Mr. Don Clyde, before your subcommittee on February 11, 1958. This supplementary information was not available at the hearings on February 11 and 12 but was released by the United States Department of Agriculture on February 14 in its annual publication Livestock and Poultry Inventory, January 1, 1958, Number, Value and Classes. One of the important goals of the National Wool Act is increased production of domestic wool. I am pleased to say that this report of the United States Department of Agriculture confirms the predictions made in the statement which Mr. Don Clyde presented, that increases in sheep numbers and, consequently, increases in wool production are on the way. With the cessation of a serious drought a few months back in the large sheep producing areas of the Nation, it is heartening to know that the stock sheep population on the farms and ranches of the United States, as of January 1, 1958, is 27,390,000 head, an increase of 852,000 head, or 3 percent larger than the same date a year ago. This is the largest inventory since January 1, 1953. Of even greater significance, however, is the fact that ewe lamb numbers increased sharply to 4,347,000 head, which is a gain of 16 percent from a year earlier and is also the highest level since January 1, 1952. The fact that more ewe lambs are being held for breeding and for future production is further confirmed by the reduction in the number of lambs on feed for market this winter. Numbers on feed shown an 8 percent reduction from a year earlier, the lowest number to be fed in 7 years. If it had not been for the National Wool Act, many of these ewe lambs would have gone directly to slaughter or would have reached slaughter in a few months following their fattening in feed lots. The extension of the National Wool Act will provide the needed incentive for holding these ewe lambs on our farms and ranches and will assure that they will be bred next fall and winter for production of lambs in 1959. The very significant 16 percent gain in ewe lamb numbers on our farms and ranches this winter means a substantial increase in our sheep inventory for 1959 and 1960. In closing, I should like to request that the statements and figures concerning sheep numbers, contained in the Department report named above, be included in the record and made a part of my statement. Thank you. SHEEP Stock sheep and lambs on farms and ranches January 1, 1958, are estimated at 27,390,000 head. This is 3 percent more than the 26,538,000 head a year earlier and the largest inventory number since January 1, 1953. All sheep and lambs, including those on feed, totaled 31,328,000 head, up 2 percent from January 1, 1957. Sheep and lambs on feed declined 8 percent to 3,938,000 head, the lowest number in 7 years. Ewe lamb numbers increased sharply to 4,347,000 head, a gain of 16 percent from a year earlier and reached the highest level since January 1, 1952. Ewes and rams 1 year old and older increased 1 percent and 3 percent, respectively. Wether and ram lambs declined 3 percent. Stock sheep numbers were up 3 percent from a year earlier in the 11 Western States, Texas and South Dakota. This group of States registered a gain for the first time in 6 years. The native States, with a 4 percent increase, continued to expand their sheep numbers. În Texas, the leading sheep State, stock sheep numbers rose to 4,700,000 head, an increase of 5 percent during the year. Inventories were also up in 7 other Western States and in 21 of the 35 native States. The North Central States showed the largest percentage increase, led by Iowa with a 20 percent increase. The total value of stock sheep on farms and ranches January 1, 1958, was $530 million, 34 percent above a year earlier and compares with the record high of $783 million in 1952. The average value per head on January 1, was $19.40 compared with $14.90 a year earlier and the average of $17.50. |