The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
DEADLOCK ON THE RIVERS
AND HARBORS BILL.

Washington, May 31.-Senate
and house conferees on the an
nual rivers and harbors appropria.
ton bill today reached a deadlock
md voted to report that further
efforts to perfect the measure in
conference would be futile.
The disagreement between the
two houses grew out of the amount
of the bill, the house providing
a total appropriation Of twelve
million dollars, which the Senate
raised to twenty-four million. As
stated in the Record Of May 2Sth,
Senator Jones, Of the commerce
committee, thus explained the diff
ference between the conferees of
! the two houses. "The House
members insist strenuously upon
heir amount of twelve million
dollars, the Senate conferees made
q proposal to accept eighteen mil
lion. But this was not accepted
by the House conferees." Where
upon the case was sent back to
conference and the deadlock was
reached as stated above.
The disagreement has worked
cut as the Herald indicated it
would when first reported-that
he Senate would propose a COM
promise on the amount which it
was doubtful if the House would
accept. 1t seems by the following
from the statement Of Senator
Jones, the Senate amendment was
predicated upon a misleading or
misunderstood statement of Col.
Taylor, Of the engineer depart
ment:
I understood Col. Taylor's testi-
mony before our committee to
mean and to- be to the effect that
he $59,000,0O0 on hand the first
of November had been reduced to
S36 100000 on the first Of Febru-
ary, and that this coming summer
and fall the expenditures would
at least be equal to what they had
been in the few months before, if
not more. But after the bill had
passed the Senate, in talking with
one of the House members, he
made suggestion that led me to
think that possibly we had mis-
understood Col. Taylor. l do not
think that Col. Taylor intended to
mislead us at all. but that we had
misunderstood him. So | wrote
him letter asking him further
and more particularly as to thu
amount of money that we had or
hand. He wrote me under date OF
April 10, as follows:
Balance available February /.
1920, for works of rivers and har-
bar improvement, $36, ,307 ,292
does not include allotments for
Wilson Dam and Illinois and
Michigan Canal. nor flood control
appropriations)."
/ was not satisfied with that,
and | telephoned him again and
told him what wanted to get was
a statement clearly showing the
amount of money that was actual
ly unexpended, and in answer |
received a letter under date Of
April %, 1920, giving me table
showing the amount of money on
hand in connection with every
project that is under way, the
amount of money that has been al
loted out of that or under contract
and the amount of money that is
unalloted and uncontrolled, and
this is the showing that that
makes: That on the first day of
April, instead of the first day Of
February, there was on hand for
river and harbor improvements
under way $60,005, ,311.69; that of
hat there had been allotted or con-
tracted to be spent $27, ,305. .253 96,
leaving on the first of April bal
ance available that has not been
contracted, that has not even been
,lloted, of $31, ,750,547.90.
So when | made the statement
on the floor of the Senate that
since November l up to February
| we had expended at the rate of
So 100000 a month, | was incor-
rect. That amount of money had
probably been allotted for expendi-
tr1re or contracts had been made
that when completed would in
volve that amount of expendi-
lures.
It thus seems that the House
provided sufficient amount with
the SUMS en- hand, and unexpend-
ed and unalloted, to amply meet
the prevailing rate of monthly ex-
nenditures. OF course. there is
nothing to be done under such
situation as Col. Taylor has stated
but for the House to stand pat
and for the Senate to give up its
ill-considered amendment Vicks-
burg Herald.
Children that are affected by worms