Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-21
HOOVER OPPOSES
DEBENTURE PLAN
IN FARM AID BILL
Continued From First Page)

tCOQtuDueQ from f1TSt RAGE
is in reality acceding to a request made
to him more than week ago by q sub
committee of the Senate committee.
The subcommittee, headed by Chairman
McNary. called upon the President at
the White House to get his views on
the debenture plan, which had been
advocated by Mr.. Taber and other wit
nesses at the committee hearings on
farm legislation. They were told by
the President he was not prepared to
give his views on the debenture plan:
that 1t was a matter which required
study.
The Senate committee went ahead
with its draft of the farm bill and in
Guided the debenture feature in 1t,
leaving it to the discretion Of the pro-
posed Federal Farm Board when to
bring it into effect, II ever. If the de-
befture plan is provided for in law,
however, 1t was pointed out last night.
there would be tremendous pressure
brought to bear on both the Farm
Board and the President to have 1t
made effective.
The effect Of the debenture plan as
written into the bill would be to give
the farmers an added 81 cents over the
world market price for wheat and to
add $40 q bale to the price OF cotton.
1t is not dif1icult to see that there would
be a strong demand for putting the
plan into operation, particularly II there
was q bumper crop OF wheat this year,
for example, and prices should break.
House Drives Ahead.
While the White House and the
Senate Unanswered yesterday with the
debenture plan as the object OF attack
or defense, the House drove ahead with
its consideration of the farm relief bill
which was reported to that body last
wednesday and which apparently is
satisfactory to the administration. It
contains no debenture plan. The House
committee turned down the proposal
for inclusion in Its bill with y thud
before it reported the bill. 1t had been
planned to conclude general debate on
the farm bill in the House tonight.
but demand for more time to discuss
the bill caused o change in the plan
Yesterday and general debate will con-
tinue tomorrow. It is expected the bill
will be taken up under the five minute
rule for amendment on Tuesday and
that it will be passed with little or no
amendment by Wednesday or Thurs
day.
A stumbling block in the path Of the
defenture plan is the fear entertained
by some Of the Senators that 1t might
lead to overproduction and thereby
cause q difficult situation. This is the
main objection which Senator Borah Of
Idaho, for example, finds to the pro-
posal.
Supporters Are Active.
The House leader has turned a deaf
ear so far to the pleas Of the support
ers of the debenture plan. Its sup
porters, however, ere active at the
Capitol, and yesterday were seeking to
convince Senators and Representatives
that the measure should be adopted.
House leaders have voiced the opin-
ion that the debenture plan could not
properly originate in the Senate, since
it was. q revenue misunderstanding as
1t did with tariff duties, and that such
measures under the Constitution had to
be originated in the House. They have
threatened to send the bill back to the
Senate and not receive 1t II the Senate
placed the debenture plan In 1t. 1t was
pointed out, however, at the Senate end
Of the Capitol, that II the House re-
fused to permit a Senate amendment
providing the debenture plan when at
tached to the farm relief bill, on this
ground, the debenture plan could be
inserted in the tariff bill when that
measure comes to the Senate from the
House.
The Senate has q right to offer
amendments to revenue bills which
originate In the House.