Evening star., 1940-01-19
President Is Urged
To Resist Allies
Combined Buying
kotionoI Grange Master
Soys Effect Is Crushing
On Many Producers
Ry the Associated Press,

fy the Associated Press.
Louis j. Taber, master of the Ma
tional Grange, said after a White
House visit today that he had urged
President Roosevelt to take "the
most vigorous attitude" consistent
with neutral diplomacy in protect
ing the interests of agriculture
against combined purchasing by
France and Great Britain.
Unless there are. dislocations
caused by the war, Mr.. Taber said,
farmers will have a billion more dol
lars Of income this year than last
year.
The grange president said the ef-
feet Of combined purchasing by the
allies was crushing on tobacco
growers and heavily felt by apple
producers and producers of many
other products"
The allies have pooled funds and
worked out arrangements for buy
ing in this country through a joint
committee.
I'VE think the Department of
State is doing all it can" Mr.. Taber
said, but we emphasized to the
President that we want the most
vigorous attitude in this situation
consistent with neutral diplomacy"
Mr.. Taber was accompanied to the
White House by Fred j. Freestone,
E. A. Eckert and Ray w. Gill of
the Grange Executive Committee.
Resume Wheat Subsidies.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture De-
partment announced it would re-
sumo payment of a subsidy on ex-
ports of wheat and flour from
Pacific Coast ports to China and
Hong Kong and on exports of wheat
from the same ports to the Philip
pine Islands.
On January the department sus-
pended the export subsidy program,
except on -four from the Pacific
Coast to the Philippines, largely be-
cause of prospects Of a short 1910
crop in the drought-plagued winter
wheat belt. .. ..:..
Officials said resumption of the
program in the Pacific was designed
to provide an outlet for accumulated
surpluses of wheat, estimated at
25.00O, 900 bushels, in Northwestern
States.
Under the subsidy program, ex-
porters receive from the Govern
ment the difference between prices
Of grain in the American and the
export markets. American wheat
has been running as much as IS
cents bushel above foreign prices
Shortage Of Ships Blamed.
1nadequacy OF wartime trans
Atlantic shipping facilities, espe-
cially in winter months, was be-
lieved today to be the principal rea-
son for temporary suspension of
American surplus cotton shipments
to Great Britain under the cotton
rubber barter deal.
Announcement of the suspension
was made last night in both Lon
don and Washington, Secretary of
Agriculture Wallace saying here
that shipments probably will be re-
sumed in April.
Through the agreement reached
last summer, this Government
traded 100000 bales Of cotton, val
ued then at about $50, 900 900, to
Great Britain for $4,000 tons of
rubber, priced at about $36, 600, 900.
Both nations planned to store the
commodities for emergency use.
The British Ministry Of Supply de-
clined to say whether the rubber
shipments to the United States
would be suspended, the Associated
Press reported from London.
The suspension Of cotton ship
ments applies only to that cotton to
be traded under the barter agree
ment, and does not affect regular
commercial orders.
Secretary Wallace said the three
month suspension was to permit
commercial orders to be moved to
the United Kingdom.
Weuld Resist Meve.
The State and Agriculture De-
partments today faced demands
from members of Congress for ac-
ton against increased British re-
strictions on imports of American
tobacco.
Senators and Representatives
from tobacco-growing States were
aroused by reports from London
Of . British embargo against Amer
ican tobacco. The British sharply
restricted tobacco, apple and other
so-called luxury" imports at the
start Of the European war in order
to conserve foreign exchange.