Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-31
DEADLOCK ON FARM
AID BILL BROKEN
Conferees Agree on Policy
and Principles in Open
ing Sections.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

The deadlock over the farm relief
bill which has developed in the con-
ference committee was broken today.
The conferees for the first time began
a real consideration of the bill, and
after meeting or an hour and a half
it was announced that some progress
had been made toward compromise.
AS a result of their conference this
morning agreement was reached by
the conferees of the Senate and the
House on the declaration of principles
and policy carried in the opening Sec
tions of the bill. The agreement was
the result of combining part of the
House bill with parts Of the Senate
amendment relating to policy.
The conferees discussed the question
of the size of the proposed Federal
Farm Board and also whether the sal
ary of the chairman of the board shall
be fixed by the President, as in the
House bill, or shall be fixed in the law
itself, as provided in the Senate bill.
The confereeS are to meet at 1880
o'clock tomorrow morning and it is
expected that agreements will be reach
ed on these questions at that time.
Compromise Indicated.
The House provided for a board of
6, while the Senate increased the men,
bership to IL. The discussion in con-
ference today indicated that COM
promise would be reached probably fix
ing the membership of the board at
9, without any attempt to have them
appointed along geographical lines. The
Senate bill calls for II members of the
board appointed, one from each of the
Federal Land Bank districts. The i'm
preston gained ground also that the
conferees would adopt uniform salary
for all members of the board, $4,000 a
year.
There was no discussion of the de-
benture clause contained in the Sem
ate amendment, which was strongly op-
posed by President Hoover and by the
House. That will be taken up later.
It is expected, however, that in the
end the Senate confereeS will recede on
the debenture plan and take 1t out of
the bill.
Some of the conferees said after their
meeting today they hoped they would
be able to finish consideration of the
bill in conference tomorrow, so that
conference report might be submitted
first of the week to the House, then to
the Senate. Under the parliamentary
procedure that prevails, the conference
report will go to the House fist. If
necessary, conferees are prepared to
meet morning, afternoon and night to-
sideration Of the bill. The meeting of
the conferees today was the sixth since
the bill was sent to Congress. In the
five previous meetings the House con-
fereeS fatty declined to proceed with
the consideration of other Senate
amendments to the bill until after the
Senate conferees had agreed to strike
out the debenture clause.
Abandon Previous Attitude.
The House conferees abandoned their
previous attitude today and there are
now high hopes of an early agreement
in conference. The position taken by
the House conferees at previous meet
ings resulted in the deadlock. Senate
conferees insisted that they could not
agree to any such procedure. 1t was
apparent that they would be lacked up
strongly by the Senate itself.
The change of attitude by the House
conferees today has brought about a
very different situation and hopes were
expressed that the farm bill would be-
SoAiAC q Ao" "AVAAAA O SoAAIPoi dtAfCly oAlOiC
time.
If conference report is submitted to
the Senate showing the debenture
clause stricken out it is expected there
will be another brisk fight over that
issue and some debate. However, it Is
believed that in the end the Senate will
agree to let the debenture clause go
rather than prevent tn passage of any
form of legislation at this time.
The Senate will have another oppor-
tunity to try to write the debenture plan
into law when the tariff bill comes be-
fore it for consideration.