Evening star., 1932-11-27
Reviews, With Grange Lead
ers, Plans for Handling
1888 Crop.
FIVE NATIONAL GROUPS
TO CONVENE HERE SOON
President-elect Avoids Dictator
Role in Conferences, But Hints
Necessity of Action.
BY the Associated Press.

an hours conference with a group of
farm leaders, Franklin D. Roosevelt told
them he hoped the short session of
Congress would enact legislation for
handling the problem which will be
raised by the 1888 crop.
The meeting, one Of a series Of those
the President-elect will hold in evolving
plan for dealing with the agricultural
question, brought at its end an an
nouncement from Louis J. Taber, master
of the National Grange, that a joint
gathering of five farm organizations
will be held in Washington shortly to
seek an agreement upon the method
to be employed.
Such meeting will be in line with
the proposal made by Mr.. Roosevelt in
his farm relief speech at Topeka at the
beginning of his Western campaign trip.
Avoids Dictator Role.
.Taber said that while he gained the
impression that the President-elect did
not wish to be placed in the position of
appearing to dictate to Congress at the
short session, Mr.. Roosevelt indicated
that he desired some legislation to be
enacted for dealing with the 1888 crop.
Otherwise some of those who have
visited the President-elect during the
last week have indicated a special ses-
sion probably will be necessary early in
the new administration. The President
elect throughout the campaign laid
particular stress upon what he said was
the necessity for improving the condi-
tion of the farmer before prosperity
could be expected for the rest Of the
Nation. In their talk with Mr.. Roose-
welt this afternoon III his hilltop cot
tage, the farm representatives discussed
their own proposal for handling the
surplus crops and agricultural credits.
On the first, they are willing to ac-
cept the export debenture, the domestic
allotment or any other plan that ap-
pears feasible for dealing with the farm
surplus.
they did not put any cut and dried
program for dealing with agricultural
credit before Mr.. Roosevelt but did
urge some method by which the farmer
ullSilb llOlu 11o 1dAin dAo AohAS' A4Ao
also was one of the points stressed by
the President-elect in both his Topeka
and his Sioux City speeches.
Method Up to Board
Under the plan outlined by the farm
leaders fer dealing with surplus crops,
the Farm Board would be given the
authority to employ the method ma
jority Of its members deemed most
feasible. Their proposal Is similar TO
the plan outlined in a bill reported TO
the Senate at the last session by It's
Agriculture Committee but never acted
upon by that branch.
Taber said Mr.. Roosevelt asked that
the members Of the Executive COM
mittee of his organization keep in touch
with both him and the chairmen OF
the Agriculture Committees OF the
House and Senate. A group OF mem
bers of the House Committee will visit
Mr.. Roosevelt next week at Warm
Springs.
The farm leader said the President
elect did not indicate preference !or
either the export debenture or the DO
mestic allotment plan, but that he came
away with the impression that Mr..
Roosevelt was keeping an open mind on
the question.
Taber, replying to questions, said 1t
might develop that the plan finally en-
ployed would be combination OF sew
eral methods-the domestic allotment
and the export debenture and possibly
some other-each arranged to deal with
the crops to which it was best adapted.
Would Liberalize Loans.
Among the other questions discussed
with the President-elect was the posi-
bility of liberalizing the machinery OF
the Reconstruction Finance Corporation
and adding to the facilities of the farm
loan system to improve the farm credit
situation.
Currency expansion also was dis
cussed with Mr.. Roosevelt but not TO
any great length. The farm leaders
came away with the impression that the
President-e felt that whatever steps
of that kind, If any, were employed, the
soundness of the national financial sys-
..em must be maintained.
The delegation did not go into several
phases of the program approved yester-
day in the final session of the organlZa-
tion,s meeting at winston Salem, N. G.
Under the domestic allotment plan
which they discussed, the farmer would
be assured q price equal to the cost OF
for the portion of his crop
that was necessary for the domestic
The debenture plan con-
templates the issuance of debentures
equal to a portion of the tariff on such
agricultural commodities as were ex-
ported, the farmer to be able to cash
these debentures.