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Show in WASHINGTON v - By Wolter Sheod 1 WNU Correspondent Future of Farm Loan Agencies in Doubt CARM leaders here, governmental and private, are split wide open over the question of whether or not farm credit agencies should be combined under one head within the department of agriculture, or separated sepa-rated from the department and operated oper-ated as an independent agency. On the one hand, there is the Farm Bureau federation, the National Na-tional Council of Farm Co-operatives and the National Grange who are backing the bill introduced by Con. John W. Flannagan Jr., (D., Va.) which would separate the farm credit agencies from the department depart-ment of agriculture and place them under the jurisdiction of a bi-partisan board to be named by the President, Pres-ident, of which the secretary of agriculture agri-culture would be an ex-officio member. mem-ber. On the other hand, the progressive National Farmers union, the secretary secre-tary of agriculture and a group of farm-minded congressmen are seek- ! ing to retain the farm credit agen- cies within the department of agri- j culture under direct control of the I secretary, but with the appointment 1 of an advisory board and an assistant assist-ant secretary of agriculture, who would be the executive administrator administra-tor of the agencies. And aside from these two schools j of thought, there is another group headed by Rep. Harold Cooley, (D.. N. C.) and Reid F. Murray, (R., I Wis.) who are seeking to set up an I entirely new corporation to be known as the Farmers' Home corporation, which would operate upon a plan similar to the Federal Housing administration ad-ministration insofar as farm loans are, concerned and which would assume as-sume many of the functions of the existing farm loan agencies, within the D. of A. Struggle for Control Thus, there is a three-way fight for control of the multi-billion-dol--lar farm lending agencies, which ' since their inception in May, 1933, have made various types of farm oans through June 30, 1945, totaling $16,868,539,301 under the head of the i Farm Credit administration, and an additional billion dollars under the IFarm Security administration. The various lending agencies, which have been established under the Farm Credit administration governorship, gov-ernorship, include the Federal Land banks, the Production Credit corporation, cor-poration, the Federal Intermediate t Credit banks, the Federal Farm Mortgage corporation, the 13 Banks for Co-operatives, Emergency Crop and Feed loans and the Regional Agricultural Credit corporation, all of which, as of June 30, 1945 had loans outstanding amounting to $2,-246,628,252. $2,-246,628,252. The National Council of Farm Cooperatives Co-operatives and the Farm Bureau federation believe the Farm Credit agencies should be set up on an independent in-dependent basis much the same as the Federal Reserve system, and should co-ordinate the different fields of farm credit loans to eliminate elimi-nate gaps and duplications, operating operat-ing within the framework of the national na-tional governmental policy, under the jurisdiction of a bi-partisan board of six to seven members. Combine FSA With FCA Sec. of Agriculture Clinton P. Anderson An-derson believes the Farm Security administration should be combined with the FCA, but by retaining all agencies within the department of agriculture. He believes that farm loans are inter-related with all the other functions of the department, and that persons who have a voice in making credit available to farmers farm-ers should have a voice in the formulation for-mulation of other farm programs to make a maximum contribution to the welfare of the farmer. "Because of the prevailing view that agencies of the federal government govern-ment should be grouped under cabi- , net officers responsible directly to the president," Mr. Anderson said, "I believe that for the long run, the question is not whether the farm credit and the farm security programs pro-grams should be set up within an independent agency of the federal government. To me, the question rather seems to be whether it is more appropriate for these agencies to be in the department of agriculture, agricul-ture, or in some other executive department de-partment of government. Since these are farmers' programs, it seems obvious to me that they belong in that department which is engaged ; primarily with the problems of i the farmers. This writer believes that since Mr. Flannagan is chairman of the house agricultural committee and ; his measure has been reported out 1 for passage, it is likely it will stand a good chance to pass the house in , spite of the opposition of the agricultural agri-cultural secretary. Whether it will get by the senate, however, is an other question. j The Farmers union believes toe : Flannaean bill will definitely kill the FSA and they are s';.rd:nt alonc?:de the secretary in the fi::ht to . keep the credit auerries w.thin tl. department of a cri culture. I i , I |