CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - HOUSE

PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAM

Mr. ADDONIZIO. Mr. Speaker, I

ask unanimous consent to extend my

remarks at this point in the RECORD.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from New

Jersey?

There was no objection.

Mr. ADDONIZIO. Mr. Speaker, the

Senate approval of the public housing

program, even though on a disappointingly limited basis, is gratifying to those

of us who feel that this is one of the most

pressing issues before the Nation. It is

my earnest hope that the House will accept the Senate public housing provision

so that the fight on slums can go forward.

The slum situation throughout the coun- try is a disgrace and unworthy of the

American people. I ask the opponents

of the program to read the following correspondence from a constituent of mine

in Newark. She has just moved into a

public housing project in Newark after

enduring for years the following conditions outlined in her first letter to me in

March:

I am the mother of five children and I have

to move from where I live. I have been here

since 1951. I have looked everywhere for a place. I am living in an awful place. The man will not fix it up and I have to burn the

light all night to keep the rats away from my baby. They are eating my clothes too. I

would try to fix it myself but I have to get

out anyway so I have to find a place to go

for my kid's sake. My husband looks every day after work but he can't find a place for us. I need a decent place to bring my children up and this place is too small and very

hard to keep warm. So Mrs. Sanders, that's

the lady upstairs decided to ask you if there

was anything you could do for us as she has to move too and she has 6 children home

and 1 in the service. Living like this is

awful and no one wants children. It seems It is either that or the rent is so high that

you wouldn't be able to survive so I don't

know what to do. It keeps me upset all the

time and the man keeps saying he is going

to put us out and we want to go but we have no place to go.

I referred her to the Public Housing

Authority in Newark where the capable

staff under Mr. Samuel Warrence, director of relocation, promptly processed her

application. She has now written me

the following letter which presents the

case for the public-housing program in

a vivid fashion. I am glad this deserving mother can bring up her children in

decent surroundings, and I hope that the

countless other families still in her former predicament will have a similar opportunity. In Newark alone there are

over 4,000 eligible families on the waiting

list. Mrs. Mitchell's second letter read:

I want to thank you for everything you

did for me and Mrs. Sanders. We were desperate and at the end of our rope. I never

thought that I would be sitting up here

where I can smell clean air without going outside. It is so clean and new and nice here.

No rats, no leaky tubs, no runny bathroom.

I feel like I am still dreaming. Mr. ADDONIZIO, I could never tell you how I feel.

After where I used to live and where I live

now-it is heaven on earth. Everyone is so

nice and friendly, too. I am so grateful to

you for making all this possible for us, we,

the little people. I only hope we can prove

worthy of it. If there is anything we can

do for you at any time in any way just let

me know. I know there isn't much we could

do. We will scrub floors or something. But

that's something I just want you to knowthat I am grateful to you from the bottom of

my heart. My children even feel the difference. They are so proud of their own room.

I don't have to worry so much over them

anymore. They stay home and right outside where I can see them. And I can take

a bath in the bathroom without rats and

freezing to death, too. You will never know,

Mr. ADDONIZIO, what it was like nor what it

means to me to be here. Please accept my

thanks and may God bless you and make

more men like you.

GEORGE Y. HARVEY

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I ask

unanimous consent to extend my remarks at this point in the RECORD.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from Missouri?

There was no objection.

Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, the board

of trustees and the faculty of Southeastern University announce that the

honorary degree of doctor of laws will

be conferred on George Y. Harvey, clerk

of the Committee on Appropriations of

the House of Representatives, at its

graduating exercises on June 9, 1954.

No honor could be more worthily conferred. As clerk of the Committee on

Appropriations of the House, Mr. Harvey

is one of a comparatively brief list of

eminent men who have served in that

capacity since the establishment of the

committee in 1865, including Robert J.

Stevens, 1865; James C. Courts, 1884;

Marcellus C. Sheild, 1916; John C. Pugh,

1945; and George Y. Harvey, 1947.

Like his predecessors, Mr. Harvey has

served under both Democratic and Republican control of the House in what

is probably one of the most responsible

and exacting positions on the Hill, if not

in the entire Government.

The award of the degree of doctor of

laws by the university is an appropriate

recognition of the distinguished service

he has rendered the Congress and the

country.

THEODORE W. CARLSON-VETO

MESSAGE (H. DOC. NO. 426)

The SPEAKER laid before the House

the following veto message from the

President of the United States, which

was read by the Clerk:

To the House of Representatives:

I am returning herewith without my

approval H. R. 3109, 83d Congress, "An

act for the relief of Theodore W.

Carlson."

The bill proposes to grant to Theodore W. Carlson all of the rights, benefits, and privileges which are granted

to persons who served on active duty

with the United States Army during

World War II, and who were honorably

discharged from such service after having suffered permanent total loss of

vision in one eye as a result of such

service.

The evidence discloses that Theodore

W. Carlson served in the Army of the

United States from February 1941 to

October 1941, and from February 1942

to November 1945. In February 1947,

he filed a claim for service-connected

disability compensation with the Veterans' Administration, alleging an eye

condition. In developing that claim, he

contended that in February 1945, a foreign body blew into his right eye and

had inflamed and infected it; that he

was treated at his unit's dispensary and

experienced some relief; that in July

or August 1945, the eye condition returned, and he lost the sight in that

eye for a short period of time: and that

when he again visited the dispensary,

he was instructed to apply warm applications, which again resulted in some

improvement. In this connection, the

medical records of the Army do not confirm the alleged treatment for his eye

condition, and when discharged, the veteran claimed no injury to his right eye

and the physical examination at that

time disclosed no pathology of the eye.

Mr. Carlson also claimed that after discharge he suffered recurring periods of

blindness, and beginning in August 1947,

his sight in that eye was limited to light

perception only. He submitted affidavits

from his private physicians stating that

he was treated on several occasions from

December 1945 to August 1947 for moderate inflammation of the eye, and that

in November 1947, a diagnosis of retinal

detachment and tear involving the macular area of the right eye was established. A third physician stated in 1950

that his examination disclosed an old

retinal detachment in the right eye and

that it was possible that this could have

been produced by injury to the eye while

Mr. Carlson was in service.

Since 1947 the veteran's claim for

service-connected disability compensation has been very carefully considered

on numerous occasions by Veterans'

Administration rating boards and at

least five times by the Board of Veterans'

Appeals. After each consideration it

was concluded that the eye disability

was not shown to have been incurred

in or aggravated by his military service.

The question at issue in this case is

basically one of medical judgment, and

should not be overruled by private legislation. The possibility raised by the last

mentioned physician that Mr. Carlson's

eye condition of retinal detachment

could have been produced by injury to

the eye while he was in service has been

considered by the Veterans' Administration. However, based on sound and accepted medical principles, they have held

that the evidence does not permit a

conclusion that the separated retina

initially diagnosed in November 1947

was due either to the inflammatory

eye disease first treated approximately

2 years earlier or causally related to

trauma allegedly caused by a foreign

body being blown in Mr. Carlson's eye

during service.

I consider it unwise to set aside the

principles and rules of administration

prescribed in the general laws governing

veterans' benefit programs. Uniformity

and equality of treatment to all who are

similarly situated must be the steadfast

rule if the Federal programs for veterans and their dependents are to be

operated successfully. Moreover, in my

opinion the present case does not warrant preferred treatment. Further, I

1954 7747
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - HOUSE'

am informed that this would be the first

case in which a World War II veteran

would, in effect, be placed on the compensation rolls by special legislation.

Since there are well over a half million

veterans of World War II alone whose

claims for disability compensation have

been denied in accordance with public

laws because the disabilities -for which

compensation is claimed were not incurred in or aggravated by their military

service, approval of this bill would con- stitute a far-reaching precedent, which

I cannot justify.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.

THE WHITE HOUSE, June 7, 1954.

The SPEAKER. The objections of the

President will be spread at large upon

the Journal.

Without objection, the bill and message will be referred to the Committee

on the Judiciary and ordered to be

printed.

There was no objection.

MRS. ANN ELIZABETH CAULKVETO MESSAGE (H. DOC. NO. 427)

The SPEAKER laid before the House

the following veto message from the

President of the United States, which was read by the Clerk:

To the House of Representatives:

I am returning herewith without my

approval H. R. 4532, 83d Congress, "An

act for the relief of Mrs. Ann Elizabeth

Caulk."

The bill would authorize and direct

the Secretary of the Treasury to pay to

Mrs. Ann Elizabeth Caulk the sum of

$1,682.80 in full settlement of all her

claims against the United States for

non-service-connected death pension

she would have received if the claim she

filed on March 29, 1948, had been considered as having been filed on April 1, 1944.

David H. Caulk, a veteran of honorable service in the Spanish-American

War, married the claimant on November

7, 1931, and died of a non-service-connected cause 12 days later. Mrs. Caulk's

claim for death pension filed December

31, 1931, was denied for the reason that

she had not married the veteran prior to

the then applicable marriage delimiting

date, September 1, 1922. Effective April

1, 1944, the delimiting date was extended

by law to January 1, 1938, rendering Mrs.

Caulk potentially eligible for death pension benefits to which she was previously

not entitled. However, she did not file

a new claim for death pension until

March 29, 1948, and under the law, pension benefits were paid prospectively

from that date.

It appears that favorable action by the

committees which consider H. R. 4532

was based on the theory that the delay

in filing claim was due to ignorance of

the law on the part of Mrs. Caulk. This

reason applied with equal force to many

other claimants. Her case certainly

arouses one's sympathy, but to prefer it

for special treatment to the exclusion of

other similar cases would be unwarranted and discriminatory. Further, approval of the bill might serve as a precedent for similar legislation in other

cases.

I am opposed to setting aside the principles and rules of administration prescribed in the public laws governing veterans' benefit programs. Uniformity

and equality of treatment to all who are

similarly situated must be the steadfast

rule if the Federal programs for veterans

and their dependents are to be operated

successfully. Approval of H. R. 4532

would not be in keeping with these principles.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.

THE WHITE HOUSE, June 7, 1954.

The SPEAKER. The objections of

the President will be spread at large

upon the Journal.

Without objection, the bill and message will be referred to the Committee

on the Judiciary and ordered to be

printed.

There was no objection.

OFFICE OF ALIEN PROPERTY, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE-MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF

THE UNITED STATES

The SPEAKER laid before the House

the following message from the President of the United States, which was

read, and, together with accompanying

papers, referred to the Committee on

Interstate and Foreign Commerce:

To the Congress of the United States:

I transmit herewith, for the information of the Congress, the annual report

of the Office of Alien Property, Department of Justice, for the fiscal year ended

June 30, 1953.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.

THE WHITE HOUSE, June 7, 1954.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE AND INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE BUREAUS,

BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, CORPORATIONS, AGENCIES AND OFFICES

APPROPRIATION BILL, 1955

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I ask

unanimous consent to take from the

Spcaker's table the bill (H. R. 8583)

making appropriations for the Executive

Office and sundry independent executive

bureaus, boards, commissions, corporations, agencies, and offices, for the fiscal

year ending June 30, 1955, and for other

purposes, with the Senate amendments

thereto, disagree to the amendments,

and agree to the conference asked by the

Senate.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from California? [After a pause.] The Chair

hears none, and appoints the following

conferees: Mr. PHILLIPS, Mr. COTTON, Mr.

JONAS of North Carolina, Mr. KRUEGER,

Mr. TABER, Mr. THOMAS, Mr. ANDREWS,

Mr. YATES, Mr. CANNON.

MENOMINEE TRIBE OF INDIANS

Mr. MILLER of Nebraska submitted

a conference report and statement on

the bill (H. R. 2828) to amend the act of

Congress of September 3, 1935 (49 Stat.

1085), as amended.

CONSENT CALENDAR

The SPEAKER. This is Consent Calendar day. The Clerk will call the first

bill on the Consent Calendar.

TAX REFUNDS ON CIGARETTES

LOST IN THE FLOODS OF 1951

The Clerk called the first bill, H. R.

4319, to authorize tax refunds on cigarettes lost in the floods of 1951.

Mr. BYRNES of Wisconsin. Mr.

Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that

this bill be passed over without prejudice.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from Wisconsin?

There was no objection.

CITY OF CHANDLER, OKLA.

The Clerk called the bill (H. R. 1081)

to amend the act of February 15, 1923,

to release certain rights and interests of

the United States in and to certain lands

conveyed to the city of Chandler, Okla.,

and for other purposes.

Mr. MILLER of Nebraska. Mr.

Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that

this bill be stricken from the Consent

Calendar.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from Nebraska?

There was no objection.

EXTENDING EMERGENCY FOREIGN

MERCHANT VESSEL ACQUISITION

The Clerk called the bill (H. R. 6318)

to extend emergency foreign merchant

vessel acquisition and operating authority of Public Law 101, 77th Congress, and

for other purposes.

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, on the basis

of the recommendation of the acting

chairman of the committee that had jurisdiction of this bill, I ask unanimous

consent that it be passed over without

prejudice.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from Michigan?

There was no objection.

TRANSPORTATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF MAILS ON MOTOR-VEHI-

* CLE ROUTES

The Clerk called the bill (S. 2773) to

amend the act entitled "An act to provide for the transportation and distribution of mails on motor-vehicle routes,"

approved July 11, 1940 (54 Stat. 756).

There being no objection, the Clerk

read the bill, as follows:

Be it enacted, etc., That section 1 of the

act entitled "An act to provide for the transportation and distribution of mails on motorvehicle routes," approved July 11, 1940 (54

Stat. 756), is hereby amended by striking

out that part which precedes the first proviso and by inserting, in lieu thereof, the

following: "The Postmaster General is au- thorized to use Government-owned motor

vehicles or contract for carrying the mails

and postal transportation clerks on routes

between points where in his judgment, conditions Justify the operation of such service

7748 June 7