Evening star., 1928-05-30
CONGRESS ENACTS
NEARLY 1000 LAWS
Session Sets Record for Dec
ade-Many Public Prof.
ects Approved.
By the Associated Press.

WlIlU IcRfSldblVE Va SliI
first session of the Seventieth Con-
gress.
Covering range OF activities
bounded only by the wide scope Of
American interests, the newly written
acts constitute legislative record un-
paralleled in decade. Further, aside
from the actual volume, the magnitude
of some Of the tasks completed rivals
the work of any peace-t1me session on
Capitol Hill
Starting off at slow speed, the legis-
lative machinery gradually was worked
into high gear and as adjournment
time approached the legislative speed
ometer touched new marks for recent
years and the House and Senate
crossed the finish line almost on
schedule.
Effect of Filibuster.
Had It not been for the grip Of a
filibuster holding the Boulder Canyon
Dam bill stationary in the Senate
Congress probably would have approved
or rejected nearly every bill on the
calendar Of the two Houses. 1t almost
reached the legislative millennium as
1t was.
Exclusive Of yesterday. 1910 meas
ures were introduced In the two houses.
OF this number, 1923 were reported by
House committees and slightly more
than 800 by Senate committees; many
still await action by one house or the
other: some are in conference, and 923
were enacted into law
Most of those enacted received their
finishing touches in the closing days
of the session This period Of intense
activity further was enlivened by a
spirited disagreement between President
Coolidge and the House and Senate
comparable only to the breach which
developed AZ years ago when Grover
Cleveland returned 116 bills with his
disapproval.
OF more than a dozen bills vetoed by
Mr.. Coolidge, the two houses enacted
three into Law over his objection, and
on three other measures sustained his
veto. None of the remainder were
brought to second vote.
McNary -Haugen Bill.
In the veto-voting skirnish in the
two houses Mr.. Coolidge was victorious
in the major engagement, the Senate
sustaining his objection to the McNary-
Haugen farm relief bill with its disputed
equalization fee. He also won in fights
on the Oddie bill to appropriate S10,-
public domain In Western States, and
on another bill to create the rank of
bandmaster in the Army.
He was. defeated on the World War
officers disability retirement measure
and two postal bills, one to give in
creased pay to postal employees assign
ed TO night work, and the other TO grant
allowances to fourth-class postmasters
for rent. fuel and light. The latter three
were repassed by both houses by the
necessary two-thirds majority.
Among the major pieces of legislation
placed upon the statute books by agree
ment between Congress and the chief
executive. we're:
The Mississippi River food control
bill.
The s222. .495. 600 tax reduction meas
ure.
The white-Jones merchant marine
bill.
The alien property settlement act.
In addition Congress earlier than u.s.
ual transmitted to the White House the
second deficiency appropriation bill, the
last of the annual supply measures and
thereby set record In getting all these
bills which provide funds for Govern
mental departments out Of the way be-
fore the last minute legislative rush.
Huge Sum Appropriated.
The supply bills this year called for
total appropriation of s3,253. $40
162.04, while the fixed charges, includ-
ing that for the public debt, reached
81 ,388. .753. 1850.
Aside from all this major legislation
Congress sent to the White House the
Norris-Morin resolution TO provide for
creation of a Federal corporation to run
the Governments vast wartime proper
ties at Muscle Shoals in Northern Ala
bama for the purpose of experimental
fertilizer and fixed nitrogen production.
At adjournment the measure still was
without presidential action.
The number Of major projects which
failed of action this session was the
smallest in recent years, the most i'm
portant OF those falling by the way
side being the Boulder Dam bill, rail-
road consolidation, general coal legiSla-
tion and the administration naval con-
struction program. All OF these. how
ever, retain their present legislative
status and may be acted upon at the
short December session. The first ses-
sion OF the Seventieth Congress also
established a record in dealing with
more problems of regional and sectional
interest than any other Congress, at
least since the war.
Aside from the two big national
regional problems, Boulder Canyon and
Muscle Shoals. Congress tackled host
of other subjects. many of no conse-
quence whatever except to some cross
roads hamlet, but important enough
there TO be the talk of the town.
Radio Commission Extended.
Even before the session was well
under way the two houses approved
the first deficiency appropriation bill,
carrying funds to start construction oi
new public buildings at many places
throughout the country. 1t then IN
creased by Si25,000,000 the authorize
ton of $i65, 100000 provided year
ago for public building construction
and later in the year included add"
tional funds in the second deficiency
supply measure to carry out this work
Another act Of intense sectional In
terest was extension of the life OF the
Federal Radio Commission, while the
bill to authorize an appropriation OF
5000. 900 annually for Federal aid 10
States in highway construction touched
| many communities,
THE number of bills to authorize the
bridging Of the Nations many rivers
went into the hundreds, while the Rog-
ers act to authorize $l5.000000 for new
hospital facilities reached into many
corners OF the Nation. Among Other
pieces of regional legislation were the
Columbia River Basin survey in the
Pacific Northwest. the cotton pink boil
| worm eradication In several Texas
counties, the corn borer clean-up IN the
Midwest lake area and several bills to
provide for new Army housing facilities