Evening star., 1925-02-22
Supply Bills Passage AS
sured With Bodies Working
Day and Night.
THREE MONEY MEASURES
NOW ARE HANGING FIRE
Muscle Shoals, Civil Service Re
tirement and Building Bills
Have Fighting Chances.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

The Sixty-eighth Congress comes
into the home stretch this week. I'm
| der whip and spur, with sessions day
and night, the Congress will wind up
it's labors before the final gavel falls
at noon March 4.
Unless the unexpected happens, all
of the annual supply bills will be-
come law in ample time-and no spe-
| cial session of the new Congress Will
be necessary this Spring. Three of
| these measures are now in the con-
ference stage-the Interior Depart
ment, the independent offices and the
| District of Columbia bills. All the
| rest are safely through, including the
| Legislative bill-which has proved to
| some of the members that after all
there is a Santa Claus. Presidential
approval of the last bill is expected.
| A veto of the measure, carrying the
| increases in salaries for the Congress
and the cabinet, would indeed create
| a stir.
Three Bills Hang Fire.
The Interior bill is hanging fire only
because of an irrigation project in
Montana. The independent offices
bill has several items in disagree
| ment. including the Senate amend
ment putting an end to Pullman car
surcharges. Its opponents say that ii
adopted this amendment would Gre
ate a bad precedent, taking from the
Interstate Commerce Commission
powers that IL should exercise. TheT
| say, too, that IL the surcharges are
done away with there will be less
| chance for a reduction in freight
rates on agricultural products. etc.
! The District bill waits on an agree
ment in regard to the Federal con-
! tribution TO the upkeep OF the Ma
| tionaI Capital
final deficiency appropriation
! bill Will be rushed through at the
| last moment, gathering up loose ends.
/ But when 1t comes to general legis-
lation. the picture is somewhat diff
| ferent. Important bills. on which
much work has been done. are threat
| ened with extinction because of lack
of time. Time has become the essence
of all things
shoais BIN a stieker.
! For weeks at the opening of the
present session the Muscle Shoals bill
was unfinished business of the Sen
ate a kind of old man OF the sea
which that body could not shake of
and now In the closing days, the
measure is again occupying much
| time. Under a unanimous consent
agreement entered into yesterday
| afternoon. vote is to be taken to-
| morrow on an appeal from the deci-
sion Of President pro Tempore Cum
Minis holding that the conferees on
| the bill had exceeded their authority.
| 1t Is to be taken two hours after SEN
! ator Ashurst of Arizona shall have
/ finished reading to the Senate the
| Farewell Address of George Washing
| nT hni
sustained-and 1t Is likely to be
| then the bill will go back to con-
ference again, and its chances of final
! action become still less
The postal pay and rate increase
/ bill, the leaders say, will eventually
become a law, though the conferees
on that measure are still struggling.
Another bill which is likely TO re-
ceive the final legislative action is
the rivers and harbors bill, authoriz-
ng projects and surveys for projects
| that will call for s41,o00,o00.
Retirement Bill Looms.
Still a third measure for which
strenuous efforts are being made is
| the Stanfield bill, liberalizing the
civil service retirement act. An agree
ment was reached in the Senate yes
terday to take this bill up at l pm.
Tuesday, and at 2 pm. to limit all
speeches to five minutes each. 1t will
| pass the Senate, and Its friends hope
| to get 1t through the House.
There are other bills Knocking at
the door, however. for which there is
not so much hope. Among them is
! the $150,000,00 public buildings bill.
! This bill went sailing through the
House, but 1t has struck a snag In
! the Senate. The executive depart
! ment Is left to select the buildings
and places where the money is to be
| expended. This is contrary to prece
| dent and to the best minds. Congress
| in public buildings bills heretofore
has specified, and specified minutely,
! Just where money is to be expended.
House members, 1t is said, realized
| this only after the bill had passed,
and now the measure must run the
gantlet Of the Senate, where the
| flaw has already been observed. OF
| the total amount carried In the bill,
| $4,000, 900 is to be expended in the
District of Columbia for Federal
| buildings. 1t is not this money, but
the $1o0,ooe,0o0 which is to be ex-
! pended around the States that Is
causing worry. The members want TO
say where it shall be expended
Tying Bills Together.
The Cape Cod Canal purchase bill
| Is having its troubles. Inat Dill mas
| passed the House and has been on
the Senate calendar for some time
| Senators from the West have been
| impressed with the idea that 1t is
good kite to which to tie the Good
| ing bill to enforce strictly. the long
and short haul clause of the inter-
state commerce act. This Is all right
so far as the Senate is concerned
but the House is baking at the Good
ing plan.
| President Coolidge's farm relief
| program seems to be moving along.
A bill to increase appropriations for
| agricultural experiment stations In
the land grant colleges has gone
| through both houses. The Strong
| bill to aid the cattle men by in
| creased credit facilities through the
| intermediate banks has passed the
House And now 1t appears that the
main part of the program-the CO.
| operative marketing bill-is going
through, though not without some
opposition.
The House will vote finally on 1t
! tomorrow or next day. The Senate
agricultural committee authorized
4 nf hns