Evening star., 1928-05-23

Bills are being rushed through the two
Houses of Congress with such rapidity
now that the President finds 1t diffi-
cult to keep abreast with them. As
fast as he disposcs OF one batch his
desk Is piled with fresh lot.
This has necessitated his remaining
longer at his desk and making as few
business engagements as possible. Also.
In the interest OF time, he has tempo
rarily done away with receiving and
shaking hands with the public as has
been his daily custom. For the past
three or four days he has not left his
Office for the White House until after @
| o'clock each night and he has carried
huge bundles Of papers with him to
pour over In his steady before retiring
for the night.
President CoolIdges welI~kn0wn trait
for caution is especially noticeable In
the matter OF studying legislation sent
to him for his signature. lie has never
been known to sign a bin or any pub
lie paper for that matter. without FIRST
reading 1t through and knowing nxactly
It's purport before atfixing his signature.
Reads Every Word.
In this respect he Is, according to
some of the Older attaches of the White
House very much like Grover Cleve-
land. who had the reputation Of reading
every word on every paper he signed
and accepting no mans word for II.
This necessarily takes time and with
the closing day OF Congress rapidly
approaching, and the daily batch Of bills
growing larger each day, the President
finds his task gigantic one.
The President last night signed the
Jones-White merchant marine bill de-
! signed to aid and promote the mer-
chant marine cf this country and
| the first legislation In 10 years which
! provides actual benefits for private ship
| ping interests. The bill provides a
| $3.50, 100000 appropriation to be used
in reconditioning vessels and construct
| ing new ones.
The bill increases the fund which the
! Shipping Board may loan private ship
| builders for construction OF vessels and
permits builders to borrow three-fourthS
of the cost Of vessel 1t authorizes
exceedingly liberal postal contracts for
privately owned ships and provides for
the sale of ships TO private interests
only by the approval Of five of the
seven members Of the Shipping Board.
Government Ownership.
The latter provision stamps the meas
| ure as being an out-and-out Govern
ment ownership policy on the high seas,
and it was because OF the Presidents OPP
| position TO this that there was wide
spread feeling that he might refuse
| to sign the bill The President. how
ever. is represented as feeling that the
bill contained so many meritorious fea-
lures and held out so much promise to
the development of greater merchant
| marine that he waived his objections
and attached his signature.
Among the large number OF bills
signed by the President today was a
Joint resolution authorizing him to ac-
cept monumental urn to be presented
by the Republic of Chuba. and provid-
ing for It's erection on an appropriate
site in this city.
The bill increasing the pension paid
| to widows Of rs years or over OF Civil
| War veterans from $50 month to $40
month also was signed by the Presi-
dent
Others follow:
S-i82e, an act to- authorize the COLI
| lection, in monthly instaliments, OF In
| debtedness TO the United States from
enlisted men and for other purposes.
S-3057, an act authorizing the Sec
retary of War to transfer and convey
| to the Portland water district. mu-
nicipal corporation. the water pipe lire,
including the submarine water main
connecting Fort Mckinley, Me. with
the water system OF the Portland water
district.
Signs Timber Act.
S-35s6. an act to assure adequate
supplies OF timber and other forest
products for the people OF the United
States, to promote the full use for TIM
Der growing and other purposes OF for
est lands, including farm wood lots and
those abandoned areas not suitable for
agricultural production, and to secure
| the correlation and the most economi-
cal conduct of forest research In the
Department OF Agriculture.
S-3793 an act authorizing the st.
Croix Interstate Bridge Co. to con-
struct the bridge across the st. Croix
River. near Grantsburg. Wis.
S-42i6 an act to~authorize the ad-
justment and settlement Of claims for
| armory drill pay.
S-434S an act authorizing the Inter-
state Bridge Co. to construct bridge
| across the Missouri RIVER near Kansas
| City. Kans,
S-4357 an act authorizing Henry Hor-
sey, Winfield Scott. A. l.. Ballagoia and
| Frank Schee 10 construct o bridge
across the Des Moines River near
Crotan, Iowa.
II. R.-li62i an act to authorize the
| Secretary of the Navy TO advance pub
| lie funds to naval personnel under
certain conditions.
| II. R.-ii724 an act to provide for
the paving Of the Government road
known as the Ringgold road: extending
| from Chickamauga and Chattanooga
National Military Parks In Georgia To
| the town OF Ringgold, Ga.
| II. R.-i2446 an act To approve q
| deed of conveyance OF certain land In
the Seneca OIL Spring Reservation, New
| York
R.-l4S7 an act TO create board OF
local inspectors. steamboat inspection
service. at Hoquiam, Wash
II. R.-i24T3 an act for the relief OF
Louie June
IT. R.-a47o an act for the relief Of H.
r. Fealy and Forteus r, Burke.
| H. R.-40i2 an act for the relief OF
Charles r. Flies,
r. REESE an act for the relief OF
tho Press Publishing Co, Marianne
| Ark.
r. R.-s2s22 an act for the relief oi
John p. Stafford.
Death Gratuity Payments.
II. R.-5S4s an act TO authorize pay
ments OF six months death gratuity "a
dependent relatives Of offieera, enlisted
men or nurses whose deaths result from
wounds or disease not resulting from