AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT

AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT (RMA—TITLE II) To enable the Secretary to improve and develop, independently or through cooperation among Federal and State agencies, and others, a sound and efficient system for the distribution and marketing of agricultural products under the provisions of titles II and III of the Act of August 14, 1946, as amended (7 U. S. C., 1621–1629), and for expenses of any advisory committees established as provided in title III of said Act to assist in effectuating the research and service work of the Department, $5,250,000; Provided, That not less than $600,000 of this amount shall be available for contracts in accordance with the provisions of section 205 of said Act: Provided further, That the Secretary may make available to any bureau, office, or agency of the Department such amounts from this appropriation as may be necessary to carry out the functions for which it is made (but amounts made available to the Office of the Secretary, Office of the Solicitor, and Office of Information, shall not exceed those which the Bureau of the Budget, after a hearing thereon with representatives of the Department, shall determine), and any such amounts shall be in addition to amounts transferred or otherwise made available to other appropriation items of the Department: Provided further, That no part of this appropriation shall be ava table for work relating to fish or shellfish or any product thereof, except for the support of equitable transportation rates before Federal agencies concerned with such rates and for development of foreign markets. Bureau or Agricultural Economics For necessary expenses in carrying out the provisions of the Act establishing the Bureau of Agricultural Economics (7 U. S. C. 411) and related Acts, as follows: Economic investigations: For conducting investigations and for acquiring and diffusing useful information among the people of the United States, relative to agricultural production, distribution, land utilization, and conservation in their broadest aspects, including farm management and practice, utilization of farm and food products, purchasing of farm supplies, farm population and rural life, farm labor, farm finance, insurance and taxation, adjustments in production to probable demand for the different farm and food products; laud ownership and values, costs, prices and income in their relation to agriculture, including causes for their variations and trends, $2,370,500: Provided, That no part of the funds herein appropriated or made 66 Stat. 336 available to the Bureau of Agricultural Economies under the heading “Economic investigations” shall be used for State and county land-use planning, for conducting cultural surveys, or for the maintenance of regional offices. Crop and livestock estimates: For collecting, compiling, abstracting, analyzing, summarizing, interpreting, and publishing data relating to agriculture, including crop and livestock estimates, acreage, yield, grades, staples of cotton, stocks, and value of farm crops and numbers, grades, and value of livestock and livestock products on farms, Production, distribution, and consumption of turpentine and rosin pursuant to the Act of August 15, 1935 (5 U. S. C. 556b), and for the collection and publication of statistics of peanuts as provided by the Act approved June 24, 1936, as amended May 12, 1938 (7 U. S. C. 951–957), $3,058,000: Provided, That no part of the funds herein appropriated shall be available for any expense incident to ascertaining, collating, or publishing a report stating the intention of farmers as to the acreage to be planted in cotton, or for estimates of apple production for other than the commercial crop. Agricultural Research Administration office of administrator For necessary expenses of the Office of Administrator, including travel and subsistence expenses of advisory committees authorized by title III of the Act of August 14, 1946 (7 U. S. C. 1628–1629), and the maintenance, operation, and furnishing of facilities and services at the Agricultural Research Center, $581,000: Provided, That the appropriation current at the time services are rendered may be reimbursed (by advance credits or reimbursements based on estimated or actual charges) from applicable appropriations, to cover the charges, including handling and other related services, for equipment rentals (including depreciation, maintenance, and repairs); for services, supplies, equipment, and material furnished: Provided further, That of the several appropriations of the Agricultural Research Administration, not to exceed $15,000 shall be available for employment pursuant to the second sentence of section 706 (a) of the Organic Act of 1944 (5 U. S. C. 574), as amended by section 15 of the Act of August 2, 1946 (5 Ü. S. C. 55a): Provided further, That the several appropriations of the Agricultural Research Administration shall be available for the construction, alteration, and repair of buildings and improvements: Provided, however, That unless otherwise Provided, the cost of constructing any one building (excepting head-houses connecting greenhouses and experimental farm houses) shall not exceed $5,000, the total amount for construction of buildings costing more than $2,500 each shall be within the limits of the estimates submitted and approved therefor, and the cost of altering any one building during the fiscal year shall not exceed $2,500 or 2 per centum of the cost of the building as certified by the Research Administrator, whichever is greater. research on agricultural problems of alaska For expenses necessary to enable the Secretary to conduct research into the basic agricultural needs and problems of the Territory of Alaska, through such agencies of the Department as he may designate, independently or in cooperation with appropriate agencies of the Territory of Alaska, $270,000. 66 Stat. 337 Office of Experiment Stations Payments to States, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico For payments to the States, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico to be paid quarterly in advance where applicable, to carry into effect the provisions of the following Acts relating to agricultural experiment stations: Hatch, Adams, Purnell, Bankhead-Jones, and related Acts: Hatch Act, the Act approved March 2, 1887 (7 U. S. C. 362,363,365,368, 377–379), $720,000: Adams Act, the Act. approved March 16, 1906 (7 U. S. C. 369), $720,000; Purnell Act, the Act approved February 24, 1925 (7 U. 8. C. 361, 366, 370, 371, 373–376, 380, 382), $2,880,000; Bankhead-Jones Act, title I of the Act approved June 29, 1935 (7 U. S, C. 427–427g), sections 3 and 5, $2,863,708, and sections 9 and 11 of said Act as added by the Act. of August 14, 1946 (7 U. S. C. 427h, 427j), including administration by the Office of Experiment Stations in the United States Department of Agriculture, $5,000,000, no part of which latter amount shall be used for beginning construction of any building costing in excess of $15,000; Hawaii, the Act approved May 16, 1928 (7 U. S. C. 386–386b), extending the benefits of certain Acts of Congress to the Territory of Hawaii, $90,000; Alaska, the Act approved February 23, 1929 (7 U. S. C. 386c), extending the benefits of the Hatch Act to the Territory of Alaska, $15,000, and the provisions of section 2 of the Act approved June 20, 1936, as amended (7 U. S. C. 369a), extending the benefits of the Adams and Purnell Acts to the Territory of Alaska, $62,500; Puerto Rico, the Act approved March 4, 1931, as amended (7 U. S. C. 386d–386f), extending the benefits of certain Acts of Congress to Puerto Rico, $90,000; in all, payments to States, Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico, $12,441,208. Salaries and Expenses For necessary expenses in connection with administration of grants and coordination of research with States pursuant to the Acts approved March 2, 1887, March 16, 1906, February 24, 1925, May 16, 1928, February 23, 1929, March 4, 1931, and June 20, 1936, and Acts amendatory thereto (7 U. S. C. 361–363, 365–383, 386–386!), and title I of the Act approved June 29, 1935, as amended by the Act of September 21, 1944 (7 U. S. C. 427–427g), and for the administration, operation, and maintenance of an agricultural experiment station in Puerto Rico, $380,000; and the. Secretary shall prescribe the form of the annual financial statement required under the above Acts, ascertain whether the expenditures are in accordance with their provisions, coordinate the research work of the State agricultural colleges and experiment stations in the lines authorized in said Acts with research of the Department in similar lines, and make report thereon to Congress.