The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-04-13

Washington, April 13-(UP)-a Secretary of Treasury Mills to-day reiterated to the senate finance committee his approval of the gen. eral manufacturers sales tax and aroused Senator Harrison, demo- crat, Mississippi, to charge that the secretary was evading the tax issue because The is not willing in this crisis to assume responsibility for submitting a new tax plan."
 l Harrison and Majority Leader | Watson conferred in an adjoining room after the democratic outburst against Mills. Watson informed Harrison he had advised Mills not to submit further detailed tax pro- posals because the senate will write it's own bill anyhow"
 l Mills comment reached the com mittee to-day in the form of let ter in response to Harrison's re- quest that he submit treasury | program for balancing the budget. Mills replied that the original treasury recommendations of last December or the general sales tax bill favored by the house ways and | means committee would constitute well-balanced and sound revenue measures acceptable to the treas ury.
 Tt seems to me-" Mills said, "that the treasury position has been presented"
 Harrison cited Mills testimony before the committee last week in which he had said he would offer l ,auy rooopo n, y,I ptinn
 "He has evaded the question" Harrison said, land he has neither been fair to this committee nor has he lived up to his promises to the committee"
 T can't agree to that" said | Chairman Smoot.
 II see no reason why Mills should refuse to furnish specific 1 program" Harrison said. His rec | concentrations of last December including the retroactive taxes fell short of balancing the budget by $1O0.0OO,000.
 "I want to say to the admins tration that they will get nowhere | by such propositions as that. He is camouflaging the issue"
 Mills letter assured the com l mittee, however, he was willing to I appear before them at any time if the committee did not desire to | make the ways and means bill or the December treasury program the basis of a revenue measure.
 Before Mills letter was read the committee stablished speed rec
 ord by disposing of two witnesses
 in five minutes. M. D. Mosesohn,
 New York, representing the Asso-
 ciated Dress Industries of Ameri-
 ca, and Harold Young, Washing
 ton, D. C., of the National Retail
 Drygoods association, both opposed
 the sales tax in any form.
 Chairman Smoot was informed
 that the Ford, Chrysler and Gen.
 eral Motors organizations would
 join in opposition to the automo-
 bile sales tax next Mnday at
 hearing before the committee.
 Shoot was informed by the Ma
 tional Automobile Chamber of Commerce that Edsel B. Fora, Wal
 ter P. Chrysler and Alfred F;
 Sloan, Jr, president of the General
 Motors corporation. would come
 here Monday. Roy D. Chapin, Chairman of the board of the Hud- son Motor company, and A. K. Err
 skine. president of the Studebaker
 corporation, will also attend.
 The automobile manufacturers
 are endeavoring to obtain agree
 ment which would allow them to
 make a single presentation of their case to save the committees time. They will be accompanied by rep resentatives of rubber companies and dealers and manufacturers of automobile parts.
 Norman Thomas, one time social ist candidate for president. told the committee that "No budget could be considered balanced unless il provided means for coping with
 the desperate plight of the unem- ployed." He advocated a $5.O00.- 900 bond issue to aid the unem- ployed by direct relief and pub- lie works program. Thomas said the proposed payment to war vet.
 erans would not solve the unem' ployment relief problem because
 many veterans have jobs.
 we have come to the point ir the history of capitalism" ThoInai
 said. ''when it takes good war to make US prosperous. A system that
 requires . war for prosperity is ir a bad way"
 "You have in the income taz above si0.000." Thomas said. ''z means of balancing your budget" He submitted an estimate thai