Evening star., 1924-01-27
BY WILL T.. KENNEDY

"A HAT are the chances for
N Congress shutting down the
v legislative mill in time for
the big party national con-
ventions-republican, June 10, and
democratic. June "a?
This question is vexing members of
Congress- the party chieftains who are
arranging for the conventions and the
public as on-lookers. individually and
collectively the members of Congress
want to get away in time for the big
Guadrenntal free-for-all. Can they do
ft-can they get their job done in
time?
It's pretty safe betting that they
Will adjourn about June 1. If not sooner.
There are just two big jobs that
Congress proposes to do before it quits:
Pass the annual appropriation bills
<or keeping the machinery of govern
ment and the myriad activities of the
federal workshop going and revise the
tax system.
Appropriation Measures.
First, let's consider the situation with
regard to the appropriation bills. There
has been some comment about the
Capitol to the effect that they are not
getting the appropriation bills through
this year as fast as last year." with the
ansinuation that they may hang fire.
Don't worry on that score---the appro-
priation bills will he all out of the
way in plenty of time for adjournment
before the conventions.
In spite OF late start due to the
House being slow in organizing, all the
appropriation bills will be reported to
che House on at least as early a date
as two years ago, which is a proper
comparison. as that was a long ses-
sion, the same as the present session.
Two years ago the last of the appro-
priation bills was reported to the House
on April Sand passed on April 19.
Hearings on the appropriation bills
have been in progress before subcom-
Elittees since December Il. The In
fertor Department bin was delayed in
passage by inter-rarty wrangles over
the rules and the tax program. The
Post Office and Treasury departments
appropriations have been combined in
one bill, which is ready for the House,
TO be reported in Monday or Tuesday.
Hearings are in progress on the War
and Agricultural bills. They have
been completed on the Navy bill. They
start tomorrow on the District OF Co.
lumbia bill and a week from Monday
OH State and Justice. Commerce and
Labor. which will be combined into
one bill. That leaves the independent
offices bill 10 be taken up later and the
iegislative bill will he tackled when the
others are pretty we'll out Of the way.
The total budget estimates are for
something like $3.50, 900, 600. These
figures will not be whitfield down very
much. The net reduction last year
was only about s10,00O,0o
The report on the Post Office and
Treasury bill tomorrow means that ap-
proximately one third Of all the regu-
.ar annual appropriations have already
been covered. One-half of the Job of
the appropriations committee will be
over early in February.
Question of Tax Reduction.
Now about the tax reduction legisla-
ton. Here is a situation that can run
along indefinitely. but whicn can be
cleaned up quickly when both parties
have their minds made up to get away.
You can mark it down right now that
che tax bill is going to be written in
the House in open Session. The re-
publican members of the ways and
means committee and the democratic
members can get together in short or
der on everything else except the maxi
mum OF the graduted surtaX rate. In
the existing law this is so per cent
The Mellon plan proposed to reduce this
60 25 per cent. The democratic SUBJ
etitute, brought out by Representative
John Garner OF Texas, would fix it at
a. per cent and on that the demo-