Evening star., 1924-05-12
M'NARY-HAUGEN BILL
DEFEAT IS FORESEEN
Same Forces That Beat Norbeck-
Burtress Measure Oppose
Present Proposal.
SITUATION IS COMPLICATED
Congress Faces Necessity of Pass
ing Some Relief Act.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Congress will not adjourn without
passing some kind of agricultural
legislation and the question of which
Of the many bills presented shall be
approved is becoming more compll-
Gated every day.
The McNary- -Haugen bill has the
right of way. A vote on 1T Will De
forced shortly and until that meas
ure Is disposed of all other proposals
must wait But the outlook for the
McNary- -Haugen bills passage is not
bright. The opposition to it is grow
ing largely because, when all is said
and done, it is an experimental meas
ure and the opponents of it say they
do not think S200,000,000 should be
appropriated at this time for any
thing which cannot be proved OF
direct benefit to the nation as
whole
The bill has the support of the De
partment of Agriculture, but IL mas
not yet won the approval or HreSldeht
Coolidge It's provisions WhereDy IN"
price of wheat would be raised arbl-
trarily on a basis which bears con-
stant relation to the fiuctuatlng prices
of other commodities are not accept.
ed as workable by the Presloeht' put
that ground. He is not in favor OF
5000, ,000.0 900 appropriations when there
is divided opinion as to the merit OF
the plan itself among farm interests.
Simpler Measure Beaten.
The Norbeck- -Burtness bill, which
would have provided funds for diver
sified farming, was much simpler
bill, but it failed in the Senate.
The same lineup of conservatives
among Republicans and Democrats
will be sufficient to defeat the NC
Nary Haugen bill. which IS not tII og
ing supported by any party, but Will
have 70 run the gauntlet OF bl-par-
tisan opposition.
With the McNary- -Haugen bill out
of the way the administration VIII
face the responsibility of passing
some other agricultural bill. Inc
measures which are attracting most
atten ton as possible substitutes for
the McNary- -Hangen bill. though dlr-
fering materially in principle from
Capper Williams bills. Both are
more or less along the same line.
but they have important differences
in the control and power to be vested
in the governing commission "hlch
/ is to coordinate the marketing
activities Of the farmer
Follows Yoakum Idea.
largely on suggestions made by B.
r Yoakum, railroad pioneer OF the
soutlwe est, who appeared recently
at the hearings here. He describes
il thus:
bill, in a nutshell, means that the
government will loan to the Inter
state Farm Marketing Association
working fund of S10.00o.0OO at y
per cent per year; this fund 10 De
r.y-lr rAr G
TEN that will insure TO the farmers
an equitable share Of what their
goods sell for to the ultimate con-
Sumer For this loan the government
will receive ample security through
commodity assessment, the assess
ments 70 be against such comm o1ities
as the members designed, assign
ments and methods of collection to be
determined and ixed by the state
boards of directors elected by the
farmers of the different states
The lack of a practical, well or
ganized system of marketing by the
farmers is absolutely the only thing
needed to make farming one of the
most profitable industries of the
country
Asks $4,000 900 Fund.
The Capper- Williams bill provides
for a s15,000,000 appropriation and a
machinery whereby the sale of the
farmers products snail De dCCOili-
pIished through 4 commission of hVe
and under rules made by the Depart
ment of Agriculture.
Under the Curtis -Aswen plan, the
federal marketing board would be as
separate from the Department of
| Agriculture as the Federal Reserve
Board is from the Treasury Depart
ment though working in close har-
mony with the government depart
ments.
The Curtis-Aswell bill calls for less
connection on the whole between the
government and the marketing OF
| products than the Capper-WilllamS
measure At this writing, however. II
| is not apparent which Congress VIII
prefer for the situation that will fol-
| low the failure of the McNary-Haugen
! bill is not easy to determine. Its pro
ponents are in earnest about the Dill,
! and will not give up the fight without
! a struggle, as there are some sections
| of the country which are so anxious
| for the passage of the bill that
| systematic campaign for its indorSe-
ment has been carried on to influence
| senators and representatives TO vote
| for it. Most of the farm organizations
| favor it. though there are rumorS that
| the directors here did not like 1t
originally and were compelled TO sup
| mort II by pressure from farm districts.
| The farm bloc is lining up Sty LOT
| II but that body was unable TO put tne
Observation-Disclosures bill through ana
may find the same snag this time