Net labor and management income of American farm operators compared with annual industrial wage earnings

AGGREGATE OF THE DESIGNATED PERIOD OR OF THE YEAR

STATEMENT OF ANGUS MCDONALD, ASSISTANT NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE, NATIONAL FARMERS' UNION

Mr. McDONALD. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my name is Angus McDonald. I am assistant national representative of the National Farmers Union. I would first like to ask permission to incorporate in the record a copy of the statement by our national president, James G. Patton, in regard to this bill.

Mr. POTTER. Do you have copies for members of the committee, too?

Mr. McDONALD. I do not think it is necessary for me to read this statement. I would merely like to comment briefly on the testimony given here today and also briefly on the bill itself. We are in accord with the views expressed here this morning by both of the gentlemen. from the American Library Association and by Dr. Sanders of the National Grange.

I must say that Dr. Sanders stole some of my thunder in regard to what I meant to say about the disparity in income between city and farm population and about the trend of boys and girls going from the farm to the city over the years, having been educated in rural areas. This constitutes in our opinion a subsidy to cities.

The Farmers Union has consistently over the years supportedFederal aid to education, provided, however, that there be no interference in local affairs. We note that it is provided in this bill that the State library officials and the local people shall set up the program and operate the program which is in part provided for with funds under this legislation. We think that there are adequate safeguards against Federal domination or interference in local affairs. In other words, we are in favor of this bill 100 percent. We think $7.5 million is a very modest sum for the Federal Government to contribute to the rural areas of the Nation, especially at the present time when farmers are straining to the utmost to produce the goals provided by

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the Secretary of Agriculture for the food and fiber needed for defense and to feed the civilian population. The farmers are faced with a declining labor supply. I understand that that trend still continues, and about 500,000 boys and girls a year leave the farm to go to the city. One million people left agriculture in 1951, and about 350,000 farm workers. Due to the narrowness of the tax base, rural areas in many instances are not able to support and maintain libraries which are so badly needed in hundreds of counties. I understand that there are only 400 or 500 counties which have no libraries at all.

I have just one more point, Mr. Chairman: We feel that in this age the creation and maintenance of libraries is more important than it ever was before. We feel that the functioning of our democracy is dependent on the education of the people. The records of the Selective Service and the records of the National Education Association show that there is an alarming percentage of youth in rural areas who have not had and who are not getting today a sufficient education. We are, therefore, in support of this bill as well as other bills which would remedy that deficiency

Mr. TACKETT. Thank you, Mr. McDonald.

Mr. Howell, do you have any questions?

Mr. HOWELL. I do not know whether you were here before when I tried to suggest how desperately Congress was trying to retrench and that new programs might be put aside temporarily. If you had the alternative of having this expenditure of $7.5 million a year for this purpose or cutting $7.5 million out of some part of our agricultural appropriation to provide a service to agriculture, can you think of any place you would be willing to see that come out of to enable us to do this program?

Mr. McDONALD. No, sir. Although a good many of these matters are outside my assignments, I don't think of any place where I could cut a nickel. I did hear your question before, Mr. Howell, and I thought immediately of the efforts of our organization last year, particularly on the Senate side, to get the tax bill tightened up so as to eliminate some of the loopholes. It is my understanding that that was not done; that the loopholes were made bigger. In looking for more revenue, I would not of course suggest taxes from the low-income people, the farmers and others, but I would look for some of those people who are escaping taxation because of certain provisions in the tax laws. I believe one of them provides that a man may make a 3-week-old baby, if he wishes, his partner, and they divide the income, that sort of thing. I am not an expert in those matters, but it is my understanding that there is a number of ways in which the Government could obtain more income. Regardless of that, Mr. Congressman, I do not feel that the expenditure of $7.5 million a year for 5 years should hold up supplying this very necessary service to the rural areas. We have supported the defense appropriations and othersbig appropriations. In this Congress and other Congresses, so many billions were very casually appropriated in just a few minutes. It seems that this is a very small drop in the bucket.

Mr. HOWELL. I agree with you that some of those things that you suggest could be done should be done, but they may not be done at this session of Congress. If it really got down to the point where you had the choice of taking $7.5 million off, say, the soil-conservation appropriation or having this program, what do you think you would do?

Mr. McDONALD. Mr. Congressman, I don't work on soil conservation. We did appear on that and supported it 100 percent.

Mr. HOWELL. Do you think it is as important as an adequate appropriation for the Soil Conservation Service? Would you put it in the same category?

Mr. McDONALD. I would say in the proportion to the amount of funds. I believe there was about $250 million or $257 million, I don't remember, provided for in the bill, and I would say in proportion in the size of the fund this is just as important, this being much smaller, of

course.

Mr. HOWELL. Thank you.

Mr. GREENWOOD. No questions.

Mr. POTTER. No questions.

Mr. TACKETT. Thank you very much, Mr. McDonald. (Mr. Patton's prepared statement is as follows:)

STATEMENT OF JAMES G. Patton, President of the National FARMERS UNION

As president of the National Farmers Union, I would like to present the views of my organization in regard to H. R. 5195, which would provide grants in aid to the States for the development of public-library service in rural areas. We support this bill 100 percent, believing it is not only in the interest of those living in rural areas but in the interest of the Nation as a whole. In our push-button, radar jet-bomb civilization, it is absolutely essential that every citizen, if he is to take his place in our society, must be able to obtain a large part of his education through the medium of the printed word.

While this bill would benefit primarily rural areas, it would indirectly benefit industrial areas. It is estimated that there are about 500,000 rural boys and giris annually moving into cities from the farms. Cities, of course, have a direct interest in the quantity and quality of education available to rural families. Knowledge that can only be obtained from books is necessary for these young people to qualify for various kinds of occupations in industry.

While we feel that development of rural libraries is necessary for the technical progress of the country, we feel that it is even more necessary for social and economic development. Understanding of our social and economic system generally lags far behind technical development. Such understanding is absolutely necessary if we are to maintain our democratic society. Understanding of economics, of politics, of history and the other social sciences are necessary if we are to preserve and maintain our democratic institutions.

I am informed that only 735 counties in the United States provide county-wide library service, and that 488 counties have no public library service of any kind. The overwhelming majority of counties which lack an adequate library service exists in rural areas. Rural areas traditionally suffer from the lack of educational facilities. Rural areas, because of the sparse population and inadequate funds from taxation, are unable to provide libraries necessary for their cultural develop

ment.

The library service bill does not constitute a threat of Federal interference in State matters. Under the bill, each State is to work out its own plan under the supervision of State library services. The Federal Government will have no control over the method of expenditure of funds by the States, the selection of books, materials, or personnel. The only requirement is that the amount of money allotted to the State be in proportion to library needs.

We urge the committee to give serious consideration of the approval of this legislation. While it does not involve a large amount of funds in a period when billions are casually appropriated, we feel that it is vital and necessary not only to the rural youth and to the rural communities but to the Nation as a whole.

Mr. TACKETT. Now, Miss Virginia Chase, president, division of libraries for children and young people, American Library Associa

tion.

STATEMENT OF MISS VIRGINIA CHASE, PRESIDENT, DIVISION OF LIBRARIES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE, AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

Miss CHASE. How do you do, gentlemen. I am going to do something quite different from what my friends have done because I think they have given you enough facts and figures that would probably be as much as you need to consume this morning, and what you don't have, of course, will be available to you.

I would much rather give you a picture of what library work can mean to people, so that you will have some of the feeling of what the service is from that angle that could be done with public libraries throughout the United States.

To lighten up the morning just a little bit I brought the Carnegie magazine, which shows a picture of the children's room in a public library, and I think just having that picture before you might give you some idea of what a library could be.

Very early in the public library movement the importance of children as a group in the community was recognized. To a large extent children themselves have fostered this recognition by demanding service from the existing libraries. Certain far-thinking adults expressed in strong terms the belief that, if public libraries were to attain their rightful place in the educational, cultural, and recreational life of the country, the work of the public library must begin with the young. The demands of the children and the persuasive arguments of adults resulted in the 1890's and early 1900's in the operating of children's rooms in many of the large city libraries. Today children's work is recognized as the beginning of all public library service. In large and small cities, in towns, in counties where library work is established, recognition is taken of the necessity for special book collections, and especially trained librarians to introduce books and reading to children. Concern for the welfare of children has always been a distinguishing mark of democracy.

I would like to say that the public library is the most democratic institution in the United States today. The library is the focal point of a community. It is a place where the whole population, young and old, able and infirm, scholar and uneducated, Republican and Democrat, capital and labor, sectarian and nonsectarian, meet on common ground, and is served with equal interest and consideration. There is no age limitation, no law to regulate or classify its users. It is free to all and supported by all.

The children's department embodies all the features to be found in the adult department. The objective is to serve the needs of boys and girls of diversified tastes, different backgrounds, hobbies, interests, at various age levels and to suit the various mental capacities of these ages.

It is recognized that not all children will grow into adults with discerning literary tastes. It is the belief that tastes in reading can be developed, and it is the purpose of the book collection and its supplementary material to create and develop tastes in reading, whether it be in the technical or a literary field. To teach boys and girls the use of books, that is, what books can mean to them personally in their own particular lines of interest in order that their

adult lives may be richer, is the purpose of public library work with children.

In order to achieve this purpose the children's library needs to be practical and realistic. A collection of well-selected books is a necessity. The books should cover all subjects from aviation to zebras and suitable for ever-deepening interest as the child's comprehension grows. The books in libraries for adults are separated into various subject departments. In children's rooms books must be near at hand. A child expects his wants to be fulfilled readily and easily, and in good libraries they usually are.

Much of the librarian's work is done outside the library. She brings the library to the children by speaking to them in school classes, telling stories over the radio and television networks, by working with organized groups such as the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, churches, the YWCA, the YMCA, children's hospitals, juvenile courts, and so forth.

Indirectly she reaches them through adults interested in children. In spite of all the talk and argument to the contrary, I have found that children read as much today as they ever did. The competition of television, movies, and radio is a factor in a child's life, but it has not negatived interest in books when books are accessible. When books are inaccessible, then other interests do consume a major portion of a child's time, but children will make a real effort to secure books if at all possible. For instance, the central library in Pittsburgh is not within easy reach of many boys and girls. Across the street is the University of Pittsburgh. To the right is the campus of Carnegie Institute of Technology. To the rear is Schenley Park and to the left is Forbes Field and beyond that a large shopping area. Most of the apartments within walking distance are not tenanted by families with children. In spite of this, on a Saturday 1,000 to 1,200 books go out to boys and girls. They come there to borrow them. Many come not just to borrow books but to find the answers to questions not necessarily related to school curriculum, but to their own interests and problems. Young boys are studying far beyond their grades in scientific fields. Not long ago an 11-year-old boy asked for a diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum, showing the position of visible rays, ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, X-rays, cosmic rays, and radio rays. Recently boys are seeking directions for making crystal radio sets. This subject has been dead for about 15 years and is now coming along again with questions about the Korean war which we expect daily, and also about new methods of warfare and all phases of atomic energy.

These serious questions are lightened by others asking us how to tell the difference between a male and a female goldfish, how to train a puppy, or what games should be played at birthday parties.

The use of the children's department in any library is never limited to boys and girls. Many adults find frequent need for it. Parents want advice on children's reading or about a set of books to buy for the home. Youth group leaders need books and material for their programs. Members of the clergy-Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish-find stories and background material for their needs. Americanization classes and now particularly the DP's find children's books useful in learning to read English and in comprehending American history and government.