Evening star., 1932-06-03
No Time to Relax.

NO AlMC " ACldA.
With the revenue bill, designed to bal
shce the budget, agreed to by the House
and Senate conferees and rapidly ap-
preaching final action. and the economy
bill vote almost in sight in the Senate,
! the Congress has made more progress
in the last few days than it has In
weeks. After these two measures of
vital Importance have been disposed
OF there remains a third major task,
the passage of relief program bill.
The disposition in Congress to get
down to brass tacks and act on these
bills. for which the people have been
waiting for months, is a hopeful sign.
There are, it is true. members of the
Senate who prefer "deliberation." But
that kind Of deliberation has already
cost the American people dear in the
mounting taxes they must pay; it has
probably cost the hundreds OF thou
sands OF Government workers dear, too,
since early passage Of revenue bill to
balance the budget might have made
unnecessary the cut in salaries now
proposed fer the employees and officials
of the Federal Government in the econ
omy bill
After the economy bill, which is now
part two of the regular legislative
appropriation bill has been acted upon,
there is every opportunity for the Con-
gresS to go speedily ahead with the
! remainder of the appropriation bills
Every effort should be made to keep
these measures to as low figures as
possible, with due regard to the needs
OF national defense
The Congress is soon to be confronted
with the relief program. Three pro-
poSals have been made one by Presi-
dent Hoover. which contemplates add
ing 81 800, ,000,000 to the loaning powers
OF the Reconstruction Finance Corpora
ton. of which sl,5Oo,OOc.O 900 is to be
loaned to States, municipalities and
private corporations for self-liquidating
projects. and s3O0,OoO,c0O is to BE-
leaned to States which require addi-
tional money to help meet the unem-
ployment situation. Finally. $4,000 900
of the increased loaning power OF the
corporation is to be at the disposal Of
the Secretary of Agriculture to aid in
the expectation Of agricultural COM
modities
The second relief program is that Of
the Senate Democrats, worked out by
and the third, that CT Speaker Garner
Of the House. Both Of these programs
look to an expenditure of $4,000 000,-
600, and both contemplate Government
grams. The Senate Democratic bill
contains a provision for loans Of
5000 100000 to States for relief
work similar to that in the Presi-
dents program. The Garner bill
provides for far greater expendi-
lures on non-productive public works
Beth of these Democratic measures,
through their public works programs
and bond issues, would unbalance the
budget again and both are seriously
opposed by the administ.at alton, Though
the Garner bill is by far the more 6is-
tasteful and has been labeled pork
barrel measure, as it is.
One way out of the tangle over the re-
lief program is the prompt enact
ment of separate bill embodying the
plans of the President and the Senate
Democrats for $500 900, 900 relief fund
to be loaned to the States which re-
quire aid in dealing with the unem-
ployment problem, leaving the contro-
versial issue over public works and bond
issues to be fought out later.