SUBCHAPTER II—COTTON OPTION CONTRACTS
§603. Government owned cotton; transfer to Secretary of Agriculture; powers of Secretary
The Farm Credit Administration and all departments and other agencies of the Government, not including the Federal intermediate credit banks are directed—
(a) To sell to the Secretary of Agriculture at such price as may be agreed upon, not in excess of the market price, all cotton now owned by them.
(b) To take such action and to make such settlements as are necessary in order to acquire full legal title to all cotton on which money has been loaned or advanced by any department or agency of the United States, including futures contracts for cotton or which is held as collateral for loans or advances and to make final settlement of such loans and advances as follows:
(1) In making such settlements with regard to cotton, including operations to which such cotton is related, such cotton shall be taken over by all such departments or agencies other than the Secretary of Agriculture at a price or sum equal to the amounts directly or indirectly loaned or advanced thereon and outstanding, including loans by the Government, department or agency and any loans senior thereto, plus any sums required to adjust advances to growers to 90 per centum of the value of their cotton at the date of its delivery in the first instance as collateral to the department or agency involved, such sums to be computed by subtracting the total amount already advanced to growers on account of pools of which such cotton was a part, from 90 per centum of the value of the cotton to be taken over as of the time of such delivery as collateral, plus unpaid accrued carrying charges and operating costs on such cotton, less, however, any existing assets of the borrower derived from net income, earnings, or profits arising from such cotton, and from operations to which such cotton is related; all as determined by the department or agency making the settlement.
(2) The Secretary of Agriculture shall make settlements with respect to cotton held as collateral for loans or advances made by him on such terms as in his judgment may be deemed advisable, and to carry out the provisions of this section, is authorized to indemnify or furnish bonds to warehousemen for lost warehouse receipts and to pay the premiums on such bonds.
When full legal title to the cotton referred to in this subsection has been acquired, it shall be sold to the Secretary of Agriculture for the purposes of this section, in the same manner as provided in subsection (a).
(c) The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to purchase the cotton specified in subsections (a) and (b).
(May 12, 1933, ch. 25, title I, §3,
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Farm Credit Administration
Establishment of Farm Credit Administration as independent agency, and other changes in status, functions, etc., see
Executive Documents
Change of Name
Ex. Ord. No. 6084, set out as a note preceding
Transfer of Functions
Ex. Ord. No. 9322, Mar. 26, 1943, 8 F.R. 3807, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 9334, Apr. 19, 1943, 8 F.R. 5423, removed Farm Credit Administration from Food Production Administration of Department of Agriculture and returned it to its former status as a separate agency of Department.
Ex. Ord. No. 9280, Dec. 5, 1942, 7 F.R. 10179, made Farm Credit Administration a part of Food Production Administration of Department of Agriculture.
Farm Credit Administration transferred to Department of Agriculture by 1939 Reorg. Plan No. 1, §401, 4 F.R. 2727,
Exceptions From Transfer of Functions
Functions of Corporations of Department of Agriculture, boards of directors and officers of such corporations; Advisory Board of Commodity Credit Corporation; and Farm Credit Administration or any agency, officer or entity of, under, or subject to supervision of said Administration excepted from functions of officers, agencies, and employees transferred to Secretary of Agriculture by 1953 Reorg. Plan No. 2, §1, effective June 4, 1953, 18 F.R. 3219,
§604. Borrowing money; expenditures; authority of Secretary
(a) The Secretary of Agriculture shall have authority to borrow money upon all cotton in his possession or control and may, at his discretion, deposit as collateral for such loans the warehouse receipts for such cotton.
(b) The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to advance, in his discretion, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the sum of $100,000,000, to the Secretary of Agriculture, for paying off any debt or debts which may have been or may be incurred by the Secretary of Agriculture and discharging any lien or liens which may have arisen or may arise pursuant to
(c) The funds authorized by subsection (b) of this section shall be made available to the Secretary of Agriculture from time to time upon his request and with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. Each such request shall be accompanied by a statement showing by weight and average grade and staple the quantity of cotton held by the Secretary of Agriculture and the approximate aggregate market value thereof.
(d) It is the purpose of subsections (b) and (c) to provide an alternative method to that provided by subsection (a), for enabling the Secretary of Agriculture to finance the acquisition, carrying, handling, insuring, and marketing of cotton acquired by him under authority of
(e) The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to use in his discretion any funds obtained by him pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) of this section for making advances to any agency which may have been or may be established by the Secretary of Agriculture for the handling, carrying, insuring, or marketing of any cotton acquired by the Secretary of Agriculture, to enable any such agency to perform, exercise, and discharge any of the duties, privileges, and functions which such agency may be authorized to perform, exercise, or discharge.
(f) The proceeds derived from the sale of cotton shall be held for the Secretary of Agriculture by the Treasurer of the United States in a special deposit account and shall be used by the Secretary of Agriculture to discharge the obligations incurred under authority of
The word "obligation" when used in this section shall include (without being limited to) administrative expenses, warehouse charges, insurance, salaries, interest, costs, commissions, and other expenses incident to handling, carrying, insuring, and marketing of said cotton.
(May 12, 1933, ch. 25, title I, §4,
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1935—Subsec. (b). Act Aug. 24, 1935, §35, struck out "to be available until March 1, 1936" after "$100,000,000" and inserted last sentence relating to availability of the sum of $100,000,000.
Subsec. (f). Act Aug. 24, 1935, §36, inserted last par. defining "obligation".
1934—Subsec. (a). Act June 19, 1934, inserted "may in his discretion" after "or control and".
Subsecs. (b) to (f). Act June 19, 1934, added subsecs. (b) to (f).
§605. Repealed. June 30, 1947, ch. 166, title II, §206(d), 61 Stat. 208
Section, acts May 12, 1933, ch. 25, title I, §5,
§606. Repealed. Aug. 24, 1935, ch. 641, §34, 49 Stat. 775
Section, act May 12, 1933, ch. 25, title I, §6,
§607. Sale by Secretary; additional options; validation of assignments; publication of information
The Secretary shall sell cotton held or acquired by him pursuant to authority of this chapter at his discretion subject only to the conditions and limitations of this chapter: Provided, That the Secretary shall have authority to enter into option contracts with producers of cotton to sell to or for the producers such cotton held and/or acquired by him in such amounts and at such prices and upon such terms and conditions as he, the Secretary, may deem advisable, and such option contracts may be transferred or assigned in such manner as the Secretary of Agriculture may prescribe.
Notwithstanding any provisions contained in option contracts heretofore issued and/or any provision of law, assignments made prior to January 11, 1934, of option contracts exercised prior to January 18, 1934, shall be deemed valid upon determination by the Secretary that such assignment was an assignment in good faith of the full interest in such contract and for full value and is free from evidence of fraud or speculation by the assignee.
Notwithstanding any provision of existing law, the Secretary of Agriculture may, in the administration of this chapter, make public such information as he deems necessary in order to effectuate the purposes of this chapter.
(May 12, 1933, ch. 25, title I, §7,
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1935—Act Aug. 24, 1935, among other changes, inserted provisions as to presumption of validity of assignments made prior to Jan. 11, 1934 of option contracts exercised prior to Jan. 18, 1934 if in good faith, for full value, and without fraud or speculation by the assignee.
1933—Act June 16, 1933, amended section generally.