Evening star., 1922-04-04
CONGRESS FAILS
T0PURCHASE LAND
Report Recommitted to Ac-
quire Ground Between 18Th
and 21St Streets.

Consideration by the House of the
recommendation of the 6nferees on
the independent offices appropriation
bill that the federal government
should buy for s1.5OO,O0O. seven plots
of land south of New York avenue
and between 18th and 21st streets
which it now occupies with tenn
porary buildings. was prevented yes
terday when the conference report
was recommitted. The largest OF
these plots are two between goth and
2lst streets and the juncture of New
York and Virginia avenues and B
street notrwest. The conferees argue
that the saving in rent alone would
pay for these properties in three
years.
Representative Will R. Wood Of In
diana In charge of the conference re-
port in the House, expressed confidence
today that when the coEferses come
hack to the House the item of s1.500. 900
for purchase of the land by the govern
ment will be agreed 10. He enGt avored
yesterday 20 get the House to register
Its Will upon this and other items upon
which a separate vote must be taken in
the House. but found the House deter
mined to send the report back to confer
ence on the item OF Shipping Board sal
aries.
Representative Wood pointed cut to-
day that the item on high salaries in the
Shipping Board was the only one which
the confereeS can consider at their meet
i ing today and that all items in contro-
versy must be brought into the House
I for a separate vote
The recommendation that the ap-
preparation for the general account
ing office should be lump sum ap-
Preparation in part, so that Auditor
General McCarl could be free to hire
cheaper help to clean up an accumu-
ration of work, was also put over by
the recommitment vote.
Large Salaries Opposed.
The House put it's foot down firmly
on a proposal to pay salaries of S35.-
1000 to four Shipping Board officials.
FefuSinG by unanimous vote TO ap-
prove this part of the conference re-
payment of between $1,000 and S25--
900 to six employees in addition to the
four who would receive $4,000.
The rejected limitation had been
agreed to by House and Senate con-
ferees as compromise between a
House provision that six officials could
be paid between $1,000 and $4,000,
but none more than S25.000. and a
rssirs' in excess of $1,000. with no
maximum stipulated. for not more
than thirteen officials.
After round of criticism of the
compromise limitation the conference
report was recommitted to the House
managers with instructions to insist
on a provision that no salaries in ex-
cess of $4,000 be authorized. Repre-
sentative Walsh. republican. Massa-
chusetts. who was the chairman Of the
committee which investigated Ship
ping Board affairs after the close OF
the war, and Representative Mann
republican. Illinois. proposed recon-
mitment of the report.
Democrats failed by two-to-one
vote in an attempt to have the con-
any provision which failed to specify
how many employees were to receive
more than $1,000 a year.
Termed "$35,OOO Beauties."
An hours discussion of the confer
ence report was devoted mainly to
attacks on the compromise as to SAL
aries. Expressing the hope that Con-
1t would have to get along without
four "s35. 900 beauties" Mr.. Walsh de-
clared that while the board had a
serious tangle to unravef 1t had no
those handled by the cabinet.
Yet you propose to pay salaries
practically three times that of cabi-
net officials" he asserted, addressing
Representative Wood, republican, In
diana, in charge of the conference re-
port
Mr. Mann said the compromise
would give to four men higher COM
bincd salary than that of all cabi-
net members. Congress. in his opin-
ion. is not justified in paying $35.000
TO any one in the government service
short of the President.
Representative Harrison. democrat,
Virginia, told the House he had re-