The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-30
SOUTHERN BANKERS
 CALLED ID CONFER 0N FARM EXPORTS
Conference Call Regarded as First Step By New Adminis- tration to Solve Difficult
 ies of Farmers
By Associated Press

Washington, March 29.-The War Finance corporation tonight issued a call for conference here April Of southern, bankers to discuss methods by which the exportation of southern agricultural products may best be fi- nanced. Announcement of the confer ence followed discussion of the farm CTS problems by the cabinet today, after which it was said definite plans for farmer relief probably soon would be put forward.
 Announcement of the conference was confined to the bare statement of the call and the date. In the light of the days developments, however, it was regarded as the first step by the new administration looking to a solution of the farmers difficulties.
 Several other such meetings are planned, it. was stated. Secretary Hoover expects soon to meet with rep resentatives of the agricultural indus try to talk over with them the prob 1ems which beset their industry Lead CTS of several farmers organizations also are preparing to carry their kit of problems to the White House in the near future, probably before Congress gets far into the work of the extra session.
 TO STATE POSITION
 Officials of the finance corporation desire, it was said, to explain to the southern bankers, on whose shoulders fall the burden of providing funds for the export of cotton and other prod ucts of the soil, just how far the fed- eral agency can go in supplying the money they seek Tn this connection it was deemed likely that the treas urys position with respect to exports to Germany also would be made clear.
 The corporation already has ap- proved loan of s6,000000 for the f- nancing of shipments to states in central Europe, and Secretary Mellon has said there were no objections to loans on exports to Germany provided the finance corporation was given good security by the exporting louses.
 There have been indications on sew eral occasions that the corporation was ready to extend aid in shipping to cho-Slovakia and Poland, although public statement to that effect never has been made. In these two coun- < tries exporters have reported great opportunities for the mar xAting of cotton and other exclusively south ern products
 MORE CONFERENCES LIKELY
 While there was no official sxpres- sion tonight, it apparently was the programme of those officials having to do directly with the farming in- dustry to spread conferences over sev- era1 months in which time representa- tives from the various sections of the country may be called here to see what can be done for them. Finance corpo- ration officials have said several times that the western and middle western farmers must be given con sideration soon. It apparently was the consensus of opinion in the cabi- net discussion, however, that the cot ton interests should be the first to received attention.
 The meetings which MT. Hoover will call, it was said will be entirely in- formal and will seek to develop pro- gramme of cooperation within prac- tical limits for the disposition of that unless the farmers can be given assurance of a friendliness on the part of the government in the marketing of their products there will be reduc- tfcns in the acreage of all crops. It was indicated that first-hand informa- tion obtained in conferences such as these proposed by MT. Hoover might suggest new methods for domestic handling and exportation of all agri- cultural products.