The working party established at the ninth meeting of the Rubber Study Group to consider whether measures designed to prevent burdensome surpluses or serious shortages of rubber were necessary or practicable met in July and August 1952 and again in January 1953. The working party, which had decided to focus on a buffer stock type of agreement to apply to natural rubber, concluded that a buffer stock agreement would be practicable, but that the question as to whether it was necessary should be decided at the tenth meeting of the Rubber Study Group, for which a draft agreement was prepared.