The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-07-05
RELIEF BILL IS
READY; HOOVER
VETO UNLIKELY
Rewritten Measure Facing
Little Opposition in
House and Senate.
BY RUTH FINNEY
Times stan Writer

WASHINGTON. July 5.-The re-
lief bill, rewritten in conference in
several important respects, faces
little opposition in either house of
congress, according to present in
dications.
However, the threat of veto,
contained in stories emanating
from the White House, may keep
congress here until the President
has acted on the bill.
Congressman who have been fol-
lowing the measure discounted the
veto threat, pointing out that the
bill as approved by senate. and
house conferees, makes such large
concessions to Mr.. Hoover's own
plan for relief that there is little
in the bill on which he might base
a veto.
In the section providing for public
works, conferees have rejected all
construction proposed by Speaker
John N. Garner and denounced by
the President as pork barrel" leg
islation.
Alter Public Works Clause
They have altered the Wagner
program of public works to meet
the wishes of Treasury Secretary
Ogden Mills by striking out all pro-
visions for bond issue. leaving the
appropriation bills the $200,000000
public works already approved and
giving Mills free hand to finance
the others when and as he chooses.
In the section providing for emer-
gency hunger relief, the conferees
have agreed that $2O0,000,000 shall
be loaned by the reconstruction
Finance Corporation on the basis
of each states population, and an
other $100,000000 shall be distribut-
ed by the President in any way he
sees fit.
Finally, the conferees have writ
ten into the bill unlimited authority
for the R. F. G. to make loans to
any person or industry for any pur-
pose. except payment of debts al
ready contrActed.s This is the most
far-reaching grant of power made
to an executive agency since the
war, and Mr. Hoover has been a
strong advocate of it.
With these major concessions,
members of congress believe Mr.
Hoover will sign the bill, despite
the fact it still contains a modest
program for public works if he
does not, there is an excellent
chance of overriding a veto by
two-thirds vote of both houses.
Important Changes Made
Two important changes from the
original Democratic relief program
are brought about by these conces-
SionS.
Senator Wagner'S bill would have
balanced the 1888 budget by taking
current public works out of the
appropriation bills and financing
them through long-term bonds. The
Mills substitute program makes the
entire public works program, al
A~SNtJ 0RRAOFCA elAASt AACWAJ HAOJOOCO,
charge against 1888 revenues, and
will add them to the 1888 deficit.
In the opinion Of Democratic
congressman, the public works plan
did not unbalance the budget until
this change was made at Mills re-
quest.
In the second place, by authoriz-
ing the r. F. G. to loan to any per-
son in the country for practically
any purpose, the conferees acknowl-
edge that they are putting the gov
eminent into the banking business,
and changing the relief bill from
one designed to put men to work on
construction projects to one which
will help existing business to sur
vive and keep persons now en-
ployed in their jobs.
This sweeping change, written in
to the bill in conference, has not
been debated in either house of
congress. 1t was not even proposed
in the senate debate, and house
members are discovering with sur
prise that it was included in the
Garner bill that passed under strict
gag rules.