Proclamation 2800—Supplemental Quota on Imports of Long-Staple Cotton

Whereas pursuant to section 22 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 as amended by section 31 of the act of August 24, 1935, 49 Stat. 750, 773, as amended by section 5 of the act of February 29, 1936, 49 Stat. 1148, 1152, and as reenacted by section 1 of the act of June 3, 1937, 50 Stat. 246 (7 U.S.C. 624), the President issued a proclamation on September 5, 1939 (No. 2351, 54 Stat. 2640), limiting the quantities of certain cotton and cotton waste which might be entered, which proclamation was suspended in part or modified by the President's proclamations of December 19, 1940 (No. 2450, 54 Stat. 2769), March 31, 1942 (No. 2544, 56 Stat. 1944), June 29, 1942 (No. 2560, 56 Stat. 1963), February 1, 1947 (No. 2715, 12 F.R. 823), and June 9, 1947 (No. 2734, 12 F.R. 3827); and

Whereas the said proclamation of September 5, 1939 provides that the total quantity of cotton having a staple of 1 1/8 inches or more in length which may be entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption in any year commencing September 20 shall not exceed 45,656,420 pounds; and

Whereas the said limitations on the quantities of certain cotton and cotton waste which might be entered were imposed after a finding by the President, on the basis of an investigation and report of the United States Tariff Commission made under the provisions of the said section 22 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, as amended, that such cotton and cotton waste were being imported into the United States under such conditions and in sufficient quantities as to tend to render ineffective or materially interfere with the program undertaken with respect to cotton under the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended; and

Whereas the imposition of the aforesaid annual quotas on cotton having a staple of 1 1/8 inches or more in length was recommended by the United States Tariff Commission in its report (Report No. 137, 2d Series) in connection with which it was stated, in finding No. 5, that the quotas recommended "will prevent imports from interfering with the cotton program and at the same time will permit American industry to secure needed supplies of specialized types of cotton"; and

Whereas the total quantity of cotton having a staple of 1 1/8 inches or more but less than 1 11/16 inches in length which may be entered for consumption or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption under the said proclamation of September 5, 1939, as modified, during the quota year ending September 19, 1948, has already been entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption; and

Whereas pursuant to the said section 22 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, as further amended by the acts of January 25, 1940, 54 Stat. 17, and July 3, 1948, Public Law 897, 80th Congress, the United States Tariff Commission has made a supplemental investigation to determine whether the circumstances requiring the import quotas on cotton having a staple of 1 1/8 inches or more in length continue to exist, or whether changed circumstances require the modification of the quotas for the quota year beginning September 20, 1947 or for subsequent quota years; and

Whereas in the course of the said supplemental investigation, after due notice, a public hearing was held on February 17, 1948, at which parties interested were given opportunity to be present, to produce evidence, and to be heard, and, in addition to the hearing, the Commission made such investigation as it deemed necessary for a full disclosure and presentation of the facts; and

Whereas the Commission has made findings of fact and has transmitted to me reports of such findings and its recommendations based thereon, together with a transcript of the evidence submitted at the hearing, and has also transmitted a copy of such reports to the Secretary of Agriculture; and

Whereas the Commission has recommended that an additional quantity not to exceed 18,000,000 pounds of cotton having a staple of 1 1/8 inches or more but less than 1 11/16 inches in length be permitted entry during the quota year ending September 19, 1948, and that imports under the supplemental quota should be permitted only to the extent that essential needs are found to exist, in order to enable domestic users to obtain their essential requirements for such cotton:

Now, Therefore, I, Harry S. Truman, President of the United States of America, do hereby find and declare, on the basis of the investigation and reports of the United States Tariff Commission, that changed circumstances require the modification of the said proclamation of September 5, 1939 so as to permit the entry for consumption, or withdrawal from warehouse for consumption, during the quota year ending September 19, 1948, of such additional quantity of cotton having a staple of 1 1/8 inches or more but less than 1 11/16 inches in length as shall be found by the Tariff Commission to be essential, up to a total of 18,000,000 pounds, in addition to the quantity of such cotton the entry of which has already been made under the said proclamation of September 5, 1939, during the said quota years, which additional quantity I find should be permitted entry in order to carry out the purposes of section 22 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, as amended. Accordingly, pursuant to said section 22 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 as amended, I hereby modify the said proclamation of September 5, 1939 (No. 2351) so as to permit during the quota year ending September 19, 1948, the entry for consumption, or withdrawal from warehouse for consumption, of such additional quantity of cotton having a staple of 1 1/8 inches or more but less than 1 11/16 inches in length as shall be found by the Tariff Commission to be essential, up to a total of 18,000,000 pounds: Provided, That no portion of such additional quantity of cotton shall be permitted entry for consumption, or withdrawal from warehouse for consumption, except by or for the account of a person or firm engaged in cotton manufacturing to whom the said Tariff Commission has issued a license and subject to the limitations specified in such license.

I hereby find and declare that such additional quantity may be entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, during such quota year without rendering or tending to render ineffective or materially interfering with the domestic program undertaken with respect to cotton, or reducing substantially the amount of any product processed in the United States from cotton produced in the United States.

The Tariff Commission is authorized to adopt such procedure and rules and regulations as will assure the equitable distribution of the additional permissible quantity of cotton among essential users whose current supplies of such cotton are inadequate.

This proclamation shall become effective immediately.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington this twentieth day of July in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and forty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-third.

HARRY S. TRUMAN

By the President:

G. C. MARSHALL,

Secretary of State.