Evening star., 1932-06-25
SUPPORTERS FEAR
CONFERENCE MAY
KILL ECONOMY BILL
Recommitment viii Cause
Hopeless Deadlock, Pre-
diction OF McDuffle.
JONES MORE HOPEFUL
OF FINAL ENACTMENT
Believes Furlough Not Ultimately
Observation-Disclosures
Starts Monday.

Senator McNary of Oregon, assist
ant Republican leader of the Senate.
announced this afternoon he in
tended to make a motion for recon-
sideration of the vote by which the
Senate recommitted the conference
on the general economy bill, carry
ing the compulsory payless furlough
plan for Government employees.
The ultimate fate of the general
economy bill with It's combined compul-
sorry furlough-pay cut plan for Govern
ment employees again hung In the bal
ance today as result of unexpected
action on the part Of the Senate yes
terday in returning the measure to con-
ference.
Already badly battered in two trips
through the Senate and House and once
in Conference Committee, the outlook
for final passage at the current session
OF Congress. now drawing to a close, is
not regarded as very hopeful. Indeed
Senators Bratton of New Mexico and
King of Utah, both Democrats, fear
that recommitment to conference may
kill the bill. Representative McDuf-
fie OF Alabama, another Democrat, who
served as chairman of the House con-
ferees on the bill. confidently predicted
the House would refuse to make any
further concessions, and a deadlock is
inevitable.
Jones More Optimistic.
Senator Jones, Republican, of Wash
ington, who had charge of the bill in
the Senate, is a little more optimistic,
however If I thought sending the
bill back to conference would lead to its
DEATH" he said, "of course l would not
have agreed to that plan I think 1t
VIII only be a matter of two, three or
four days I hope we can iron out most
of the differences"
Mr. McDuffie is en- route to Chicago
to attend the Democratic National Con-
yention. But before he left he said:
IF the Senate wants to kill the econ
omy bill, 1t will have to take the re-
sponsibility on itself. The House voted
almost unanimously for it and will not
yield"
Every day after July /. if the bill does
not become law by then, McDufhe de-
clared, the Government will lose $500, 900.
The House is in recess over the week
end and the earliest the bill can get
back into conference is Monday after
noon. The admitted inequities the
Senate wants removed are so contro-
versial there is little likelihood that the
bill will come out of conference before
Tuesday or Wednesday. Then both
House and Senate concurrence in the
changes will be necessary before the
measure can make its last legislative
journey to the White House for the sig
nature of President Hoover.
Revolt Comes as Surprise.
The revolt against the conference re-
port in the Senate, and its subsequent
rejection, came as a complete surprise
even to the most ardent critics of the
bill. A number of Senators had pre-
viously openly condemned some of the
provisions, but had indicated they would
accept the conference report solely for
the purpose Of getting the bill enacted
into law so the Government could
benefit from its savings, hopeful that
the inequities would be eradicated in
administration.
Senator Bingham. Republican Of Con-
necticut, who served on the Senate BIZ
partisan Economy Committee, started
the revolt about 2 o'clock in the after
noon, and when debate ceased, about
4:30, he had drawn to his support from
score of more of Senators on both
the Democratic and Republican sides.
Even Senator Jones, who had earlier
made a motion for adoption Of the
conference report, was caught in the
wave of resentment, and finally asked
the Senate to recommit the bill to con-
ference. Senator Robinson of Arkansas,
Democratic leader, also joined in the
opposition, declaring the Senate was
in no frame of mind" to accept the
conference report.
Senator Bratton. Democrat of New
Mexico, who served on the Senate
Economy Conference Committee, was
the only Senator who attempted to de-
fend the bill
Four Provisions Attacked.
The principal target of attack were
four provisions which the Senate agreed
would work a cruel hardship on Federal
employees. These were:
1.-The so-called impoundirg clause
returning funds saved through pay re-
auctions into the Federal Treasury in
stead OF applying them to retain work
ers in service. 1t was contended this
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