CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - HOUSE August 20

enacted, will not interfere with friendly

countries abroad who are now supplying

us with a great deal of our domestic

mineral needs.

I cannot conceive of the Congress not

taking favorable action on this program

which is absolutely necessary for the

survival of a great many of our domestic mines. I do not believe that the

House of Representatives wants to ac- cept the responsibility of allowing this

basic industry to collapse and for us to

become dependent altogether on foreign

imports for our metal needs.

It is imperative that we get a favorable vote on S. 4036. The Nation's security and welfare is bound too closely to

this metal program for the Congress not

to take favorable action.

The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will

read.

The Clerk read as follows:

Be it enacted, etc., That this act may be

cited as the "Domestic Minerals Act of 1958."

Mr. ROGERS of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now

rise.

The motion was agreed to.

Accordingly the Committee rose, and

the Speaker having resumed the chair,

Mr. EVINS, Chairman of the Committee

of the Whole House on the State of the

Union, reported that that Committee,

having had under consideration the bill

(S. 4036) to stabilize production of copper, lead, zinc, acid-grade fluorspar, and

tungsten from domestic mines, had come

to no resolution thereon.

WHEAT UNFIT FOR HUMAN

CONSUMPTION-VETO MESSAGE

FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE

UNITED STATES (H. DOC. NO. 441)

The SPEAKER laid before the House

the following message from the President of the United States:

To the House of Representatives:

I return herewith, without my approval, H. R. 11581, "To remove wheat

for seeding purposes which has been

treated with poisonous substances from

the 'unfit for human consumption' category for the purposes of section 22 of the

Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, and

for other purposes."

Virtually all of the seed wheat enterIng the United States comes from Canada. Much of the wheat so imported is

treated with poisonous substances which

act as inhibitors of wheat diseases and

insects. As such wheat is unfit for

human consumption, it is so classified

under the Tariff Act. Under the classification, "wheat unfit for human consumption," treated seed wheat is dutiable

at 5 percent ad valorem (about 10 cents

per bushel at current prices) as compared with a duty of 21 cents per bushel

on all other imported wheat, including

untreated seed wheat. The present

measure would reclassify treated seed

wheat and put it in the straight "wheat"

classification, thereby making it subject

to the higher rate of duty.

The duty on wheat unfit for human

consumption was reduced from 10 to 5

percent ad valorem in a bilateral agreement with Canada effective in 1939.

The present rate was bound under the

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

in 1948. These agreements recognize

the right of the United States to raise

duties or impose quotas should imports,

at current rates of duty, of wheat unfit

for human consumption seriously injure or threaten injury to domestic producers.

Similar protection is provided under

these international agreements and the

Agricultural Adjustment Act with respect

to imports which interfere with programs

of the Department of Agriculture.

There is, in the record, no claim that

the present rate of duty is imposing a hardship on anyone, or interfering with

any program of the Department of Agriculture. Our laws provide a method for

making and sustaining such a claim,

which has not been invoked in this case. While, in some respects, seed wheat

classifications may be anomalous, this seems a scant basis for taking an action

which, I believe, would violate our international agreements, and be inimical

to the trade policy of the United States,

the interests of our farmers, and our re- lations with Canada.

The United States is constantly working to reduce the barriers to world

trade. The latest manifestation of this

effort is the recent and overwhelming endorsement by the Congress of a 4-year

extension of the Trade Agreements Act.

Tariff reduction without serious hardship to our domestic producers is an integral part of our trade policy. Approval of H. R. 11581 would be inconsistent with this policy and would not be

understood by our trading partners, particularly Canada.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.

THE WHITE HOUSE, August 20, 1958.

The SPEAKER. The objections of the

President will be spread at large upon

the Journal.

Mr. COOLEY. Mr. Speaker, I move that the bill and message be referred

to the Committee on Agriculture and

ordered to be printed. The motion was agreed to.

The SPEAKER. The Chair is going to

recognize Members now to send bills to

conference and to concur in Senate

amendments.

ADMISSIBILITY OF CERTAIN EVIDENCE, STATEMENTS AND CONFESSIONS

Mr. WALTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask

unanimous consent to take from the

Speaker's table the bill (H. R. 11477) to

amend chapter 223 of title 18, United

States Code, to provide for the admission

of certain evidence, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment thereto,

disagree to the amendment of the Senate

and agree to the conference asked by

the Senate.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

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

hears none and appoints the following

conferees: Messrs. CELLER, WALTER, WILLIS, KEATING, and CRAMER.

EDUCATION OF MENTALLY

RETARDED CHILDREN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I ask

unanimous consent for the immediate

consideration of the bill (H. R. 13757)

to encourage expansion of teaching in

the education of mentally retarded children through grants to institutions of

higher learning and to State educational

agencies.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

Mr. ARENDS. Mr. Speaker, I trust

the gentleman from South Dakota will

not press for consideration of the bill.

This bill has been calendared for consideration under suspension of the rules.

I ask the gentleman to withdraw his

request.

Mr. McGOVERN. May I say to the

gentleman from Illinois that this has

been cleared with the Minority Leader,

the gentleman from Massachusetts, Mr.

MARTIN. I am wondering if the gentleman Mr. from Illinois is aware of that fact. ARENDS. I may also say to the

gentleman from South Dakota that I

have information that a number of

Members wish to discuss this matter and

would object to its being called up for

consideration now. I hope the gentle- man will withdraw his request.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I

withdraw my request.

WATERSHED PROTECTION AND

FLOOD PREVENTION

Mr. SIKES. Mr. Speaker, I ask

unanimous consent to take from the

Speaker's table the bill (H. R. 5497) to

amend the Watershed Protection and

Flood Prevention Act, with Senate

amendments thereto, and concur in the

Senate amendments.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The Clerk read the Senate amendments, as follows:

Line 6, strike out "recreational and."

Lines 10 and 11, strike out "recreational

and."

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from Florida?

There was no objection.

The Senate amendments were concurred in.

A motion to reconsider was laid on

the table.

IMPROVEMENTS TO CAPITOL

POWER PLANT

Mr. JONES of Alabama. Mr. Speaker,

I ask unanimous consent to take from

the Speaker's table the bill (H. R. 12883)

to provide for certain improvements relating to the Capitol Power Plant and its

distribution systems, with Senate amendments thereto and concur in the Senate

amendments.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The Clerk read the Senate amendments, as follows:

Page 1, line 9, strike out "oil-burning."

Page 2, line 8, strike out "oil."

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. JONES]?

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