Evening star., 1925-01-31
CONGRESS HASTENS
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
UPON ARM REPORT
House Committee Meets to
Decide on Procedure for
New Legislation.
CAPPER-WILLIAMS BILL
COVERS ENTIRE FIELD
May Serve for All Purposes With
Some of Disapproved Clauses
Eliminated.
BY WILL =. KENNEDY.


President Coolidge's recommendation
that the report OF the agricultural
conference called by him, which re-
port was made on Wednesday, be
embraced in suitable legislation at
the earliest possible date" is meeting
prompt response in Congress.
The agricultural committee of the
House met today to discuss what it
proposes to do,-whether to draft one
comprehensive piece of legislation
covering all the recomme ndations
made in the report, or to have several
bills covering particular phases. De-
cision will also be reached as to
whether there should be joint hear
ings by the House and Senate COM
mittees.
Hearings are to start Monday with
Ralph p. Merritt. a member of the
Presidents conference, testifying for
the conference. This is being done at
the suggestion of the President, and
telegram went to Mr.. Merritt in
New York yesterday at the request of
the President. Robert d. Carey
chairman of the conference advised
President Coolidge TO have Mr.. Mer
rift called as a witness and he was
the unanimous choice of the confer
enCe to speak for t4e,l. Of1clalS or
members of Congress appreciate that
there is nobody in the country better
qualified to discuss cooperative mar
keting as an expert.
Evidence of Sincerity.
1t should be noted that the agri
cultural conference outlined no plan
for pushing through the proposed
farmers relief legislation, and that
the initiative has been solely on the
part of the President. This is a
strong Indication of sincerity on the
part of the Chief Executive to see
agricultural relief Legislation enacted
1t the present session of Congress.
II is certain that if the President lets
Congress know that he really wants
this legislation at this session that
it will be enacted.
Although it is known that experts |
have been working for the House |
committee on agriculture preparatory |
to drafting such relief measures as |
are compassed in the report of the |
Presidents conference, Chairman
Haugen of the committee denies that
he is about to introduce bill, say
ing that the committee, after hear !
ings. will probably introduce a com
mittee bill"
If there is a desire for the earliest
possible action there is no need of
waiting for a new bill to be drafted |
those who are most eager for a |
prompt and thorough cleaning up of
the agricultural troubles point out.
House Bill offered.
Within a couple of hours of the
time the report of the Presidents
conference was made public, Repre- |
sentative Arthur B. Williams of Mich !
fgan, had offered in the House a bill !
to carry out specifically the recon- !
mendations of the conference This !
bill can be taken up at once and !
passed, for, in fact, it carries the
Endorsement of the conference, al I,
though it was not named by the con-
ference. The facts are these:
The original Capper-Williams bill |
was introduced last April Then soon
after the November elections Presi- /
dent Coolidge appointed his agricul- /,
tural conference, which met in Wash |
ingtOn and organized. Then, after |
about a weeks session, the confer
ence adjourned until January ). 1t
was then in session until January !
% when it's report was made. This |
conference is composed of experts on !
the main branches of agriculture, and |
of them the President said in trans |
mitting their report: Il have great
confidence in the personnel of the |
conference and know that they are |
representative of very large part |
OF agriculture and they have given !
very thoughtful study to the entire |
situation
Embraced I'm Bill.
What that conference really did !
was to take the Capper- Williams bill |
and blue pencil those portions of it /
that they did not care at this time to |
urge upon the President and Congress, !
and then they wrote their report on |
what was left of the Capper- Williams |
bill. There is nothing in the report |
of the Presidents agricultural con- ,
ference that was not covered III the |
original CapperWilliams bill, but the |
bill went further than the report.
When the report of the Presidents !
conference was made public, Repre- |
sentative Williams promptly cut out !
of his original bill all that the report |
did not recommend or which the con-
ference did not touch and reintro- |
duced it, thus showing his readiness |
to accept curtailing amendments |
the omissions the conference thought |
desirable at this time.
Williams May Appear.
Representative Williams probably |
will appear before the House COM !
mittee on agriculture soon after Mr. |
Merritt has been heard
Those who are eager for early ac-
tion are somewhat fearful that if the |
chairman of the agricultural commit
tee drafts and introduces another bill |
1T may complicate the situation and !
delay action by having two bills pre- |
sented, both OF which deal with the |
same subject and attempt to carry
out the same recommendations.
Favors Marketing Board.
The Presidents commission reports |
m favor of a Federal cooperative |
marketing board, the registering of |
cooperative associations with such |
board, standard system of accounting
and audit of all such associatio by !
the board, the pooling of products of |
local co-operatives or the formation
of clearing houses by them and the |
formation of terminal mark citing ex-
changes or associations.
1t also provides for the adoption of
grades and standards until the same
are promulgated according to law |
the arbitration of disputes between
shipper and consignee. the formation ]
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