The Washington herald., 1920-11-28
G.O.P.TO MAP
SCHEDULEFOR
SHORTSESSION
Problem Of Revenues to Get
Consideration at Confer
ences This Week.
SUPPLY BILLS FIRST
Winter Work May Be Linn
tied to Await Harding
On Big Issues.
SUPPLY BILLS FIRST

Determines To give thS~counry
demonstration OF governmental
efficiency. Republican leaders In
Congress plan to map out within
the next few weeks the entire legis-
lative program which they hope %
enact at the special session follow
ing President-elect Hsrding's in
auguration on March 4, Il was
learned yesterday.
Following the conference yester-
day between Senator Lodge, Repub-
Iican leader of the Senate. and Sen
stor Penrose, Finance Committee
chairman. at Philadelphia. there
will be a series OF meetings Of the
Republican leaders here. which are
expected to result In formulation
OF this program. The general plan
is: =.
1. Limit the short session. be-
ginning December 6. to appropriation
bills; s, put all the major commits
tees to work on the big problems.
8. Present bills covering these
problems in rapid fire order. after
the special session gets under way.
Full Co-operstfon Aim
Harding will be conferred with
and Congressional leaders said
every effort will be made to have
the legislative and executive
branches Of the government COOP
ing out such changes as are deemed
needful.
Among the problems on which
committees will he put 70 work dur
ing the short session are these:
Tariff and tax revision: fmmtgra-
tion: high cost OF living; reorgani-
zation Of government departments;
agricultural questions; labor and
railroads. "a
congressional leaders said Il VIII
be impossible to make absolutely
definite plans until they know more
about Harding's plans with respect
TO peace and the proposed sssocis-
tlon of pations- Nny lawmakers
favor imVediste- sctten --su 7d~rncs-
tic questtbus iettiug the associations
wait until home problems have been
solved.
The program for the revision Of
the tax laws and the tariff has al
ready begun to take shape. Whether
subcommittees shall hold joint hear
ings this winter and whether tarin
and the new revenue law shall be
Incorporated into one bill or that
the two bills be introduced stimuli
taneously. are problems.
Tax ProbIem DimcuIt.
Congress may be confronted with
the necessity of either increasing
tax rates or providing for another
issue Of long-term bonds. according
to preliminary surveys of the fnan-
cial situation made for members OF
the House Ways and Means Com
mittee by Treasury officials.
Indications are that chances are
roor for even slight reductions OF
few of the most obnoxious taxes.
Some Increased levies. particularly
on non-essentials. will be recon-
mended by the Secretary of the
Treasury in his annual report. ac-
cording to reports at the Capitol.
The current depression. Treasury
officials believe. will cut a big hole
in the yield of the excess profits
tax. which has brought in a large
percentage of the government rev.
enues- For 1919 the yield from the
excess profits tax was approximate
ly sl,l75. 100000. In addition. sew
eral members OF the House Ways
and Means Committee point out
that reduced returns from the nor
NAL income taxes also will be re-
hected in the depression. Normal
income taxes for 1919 netted about
sl.127 900. .0eO. Thus these two
levies represented nearly half of
the 1919 revenues.
Government expenditures continue
high because Of the tremendous war
debt of the country, the interest OF
which amounts to nearly sl.25O. .0oo.-
000 a year. In addition the Treas
ury for a long time has been meet
ing demands by selling short-term
certificates Of Indebtedness every
few months in the hope Of averting
another bond issue.