Evening star., 1926-04-12
Decision Expected Today at
Conference of Leaders
With Budget Heads.
RETIREMENT BILL TO GET
TEST IN REPORT To- LORD
Civil War Pensions, Additions to
Bonus and Veterans Measure
Due to Be Considered.
BY WILL =. KENNEDY.

speaker I-OnSWOTtn, 11OuSe lleducf
Tilson and Chairman Madden of th"
appropriations committee are acting
for the Republican steering commit
tee of the House, in conferences with
Director Lord of the budget bureau
and other Federal officials, to deter
mine just which of the important
pressing measures can be approved
by Congress and still stay within the
prospective revenues of the Treasury
Department.
With many important measures
pending and with very strong pres
sure behind some of them, the steer
ing committee devised this as a busi
nesslike way to wind up the legisla-
tion of this session of Congress. IT
is new departure in legislative pro
cedure, marking another progressive
step by the House for efficient trans.
action of it's business along sound
business lines.
Decision Expected Today.
At a conference to be held TODAY
an important decision may be reached
regarding one or several of the most
pressing measures. Careful studies
nave been made of the cost of mum.
Der of legislative proposals which are
on the House calendar.
Clnspicuous among them is the
liberalized civil service retirement
Dill. on which Chairman Lehlbach and
the House committee on the civil serv-
Ice have been working for five years.
10 do more even justice to the approx
imately 100000 beneficiaries Of the
contributory pension system set I'D in
1870. NO exact figures are yet avail
abie on the probable cost of the lib
eralized plan reported by the House
committee which is awaiting action on
House calendar.
Chairman Lehlbach and his commit
tee have protested that the cost will
De nothing like President Coolidge and
the leaders in Congress have been told
1t VIII be. Budget Director Lord has
called upon the actuaries of the retire
ment fund to make an intensive study
OF the bill now on the House calendar
and report the probable cost on that
particular measure. 1t is expected that
he Will have this report before We'd
nesday.
Backers are Encouraged.
1t is some encouragement TO friends
or the Government employees that this
special committee of House leaders
in the light of what funds NAV he
available in the Federal Treasury TO
determine if it may safely be taken up
for action by the Congress. 1t has
been rather generally supposed that
the leaders had actually turned down
all prospects of this measure being
called up in the House. There is par
t1cular encouragement in the fact that
If it is decided to bring this measure
up in the House. it will then go to the
Senate, with increased probability
that it will promptly be acted upon
there as part of a well-digested admin
istration program.
Other pressing measures that will
be considered at the conference of the
leaders are the Civil War pension bill
which calls for an increase of about
S59,OO0.0CO a year; additions to the
bonus BILL which call for about
$15,OOO.0O0. and the Johnson World
War veterans bill, which calls for
about 5000 900 the first wear. run.
ming up to $4,000 900 the third year
Fight OH Guardianship.
In regard to the latter measure the
World War veterans committee is TO
meet tomorrow to decide upon hear
ings on another bill. which, If ap-
proved. will be made a committee
amendment to the veterans bill now
on the calendar, doing away with the
practice of private guardians for
lunatic beneficiaries of the Veterans
Bureau and putting the responsibility
on the director of the Veterans Blu
reau to act as guardian for the Gov
ernment. A special rule is pending
before the House rules committee to
give privileged status to the World
War veterans bill.
This committee of House and party
leaders is studying figures obtained
from the Budget Bureau and all other
quarters to see what the demands
are, what funds are available. what
can be done in businesslike way, and
how hard it will be necessary to hold
down on legislation calling for big
appropriations, to avoid a Treasury
deficit and to avoid making too heavy
fixed charges against the estate of
the people in the Federal Treasury.