Evening star., 1932-11-14
ROOSEVELT AID
ON DEBTS NEEDED
Action Necessary Now and
Co-ordinated Policy Is Held
Best for All Concerned.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Conferences between President Hoo
yer and President-elect Roosevelt on the
debt question and all other problems
facing tn interim Government that
America has at Washington until the
new administration comes in are not
a sudden or unexpected development.
For several weeks prior to the elec-
tion, the certainty Of the Roosevelt
victory gave rise to discussion among
Roosevelt advisers as to what policy
the President-elect should pursue to-
ward the Hoover administration. If the
President-elect conferred with the
President, would it not place upon the
new Chief Executive the responsibility
for all important acts Of the preceding
four months? Should the President
elect assume the role Of party leader
in reference especially to the House of
Representatives which is controlled at
present by the Democrats and will con-
tinue to be so controlled in the next
Congress?
II it were not for the world economic
crisis, Mr.. Roosevelt would simply say
he did not wish to interfere with the
completion Of Hoover policies and that
he did not care to offer any advice. But
the problems Of the hour are not so
readily brushed aside. Not only must
the debt question be tackled In some
way Immediately, but the same applies
to other vital problems which II started
on tack that the Roosevelt adminis-
trat1on disapproves can only result In
embarrassment If another tack Is then
begun by the new administration
The nations of the world are waiting
Tor debt settlement or negotiation and
they believe serious injury to the psy-
chology Of recovery viii develop II the
debt question Is postponed until after
March 4. Furthermore, If Mr.. Roose-
velt were to adopt that course he would
have to call Congress into extra ses-
sion 10 rattfy any agreement reached
and this would mean postponement Of
fnal settlement until next Spring.
which is something the allied powers
are most anxious to avoid.
With Congress in session next month
and controlled by the Democrats. the
foreign governments feel that now Is
the time for some steps to be taken.
Mr.. Hoover Is not recommending any
course of action to Mr.. Roosevelt. mere
ly reviewing what has happened and
asking the President-elect's desire. It
Is presumed that Mr. Hoover will fol-
low almost any course dictated by Mr..
Roosevelt since it will be publicly
known that the policy is a Roosevelt
wish.
1t is quite conceivable that Mr..
Roosevelt viii want more time to ia
miliarize himself with such confidential
data as President Hoover possesses, es-
pecially the details of the intimate con-
versations between Premier Laval and
Mr.. Hoover. but after these have been
furnished it Is not likely that there viii
be any delay on the part of the Presi-
dent-elect in formulating a course.
MIR. Roosevelt will be brought INTO
the governmental situation on a number
Of questions before March because
the appropriation bills to be passed at
the session Of Congress which convenes
next month are noe only to suDp-y de-
ficiencies for the four months from
March 4 to July /, 1898, but for the
fiscal year beginning July /, 1888 and
running to July /, 1884. This means
that the Congress which meets in the
four months prior to Mr.. Roosevelt's
Inauguration will shape the fiscal
policy Of the Government for 16 months
after March or about q third of the
four-year term Of Mr.. Roosevelt. The
budget cannot be balanced for the first
third of Mr.. Roosevelt's term according
TO his ideas unless he furnishes con-
crete recommendations on Budget cut
ting at the December session of Con-
gress.
(Copyright. i9S2) aa