Evening star., 1935-06-30
Conferences Tomorrow Will
Weigh Senate Changes
in National Measure.
SUBCOMMITTEE DRAFTS
D. C. PLAN AMENDMENTS
Time Expected in Which to
Make Local Provisions Con-
form to U. S.
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

Important developments are due in
Congress this week on both the ma
tional and District social security
programs.
House and Senate confereeS will
hold their first meeting at pm. to-
morrow to take up essential changes
the Senate made in the national bill,
which will outline the standards State
and District laws must contain to
share in the Federal aid for the vari-
Gus phases Of social security.
The Senate District Subcommittee
will be convening in executive session
within a day or two to decide what
amendments should be made in the
three separate measures passed by
the House to apply the social security
program to Washington.
The District Subcommittee is COM
posed of Senators Copeland of New
York and Capper of Kansas, with
Chairman King of the entire District
Committee also taking part in the de-
liberations. Senator Copeland will
return to the city tomorrow, but the
subcommittee may not meet before
Tuesday. Senator King is one of the
Senate conferees on the national bill,
also.
List of Conferees.
Those who have been appointed to
work out differences in the national
bill are: For the Senate-Senators
Harrison, King, George, Keyes and
La Toilette. For the House-Repre-
sentatives Doughton, Samuel B. Hill,
Cullen, Treadway and Bacharach.
1t is more than likely the conferees
twill have reached an agreement on
the final terms of the national bill
before the separate District bills go
Through the Senate, thereby leaving
time to make any last-minute altera-
tions required to obtain uniformity.
One of the most important issues
I'm conference on the national bill is
he Clark amendment, which would
blow industries to operate their own
private retirement systems instead of
going into the Federal contributory
bld-age insurance plan, if the private
system is equal to or better than the
Government plan.
No Local Legislation Needed.
No local legislation is needed here
or in the States to carry out the Clark
amendment, since it relates to the old
| age pension system to be operated as
a Federal undertaking for the entire
country, through the Treasury. This
is the pension plan to be built up by
levying Federal tax equally on en-
|ployes and employers in industry, and
is entirely separate from the other
|plan of allotting Federal appropria-
tions as grants to the States and the
District to help them pay old-age
gratuities to needy aged persons who
have already reached 65.
If the Clark amendment is kept in
the bill in conference, therefore, the
Social Security Board could exempt
lfrom the employe- employer old-age
tax those concerns having a private
plan that measures up to or gives
greater benefits than the Government
|plan contemplates. Supporters of the
over LIE
chances of retaining it, pointing to
the fact that it was placed in the bill
in the Senate by the decisive vote
|of 81 to 35.
Other important Senate amend
|ments, subject to conference in the
national bill, include: To allow States
to adopt the separate -company-re-
serve plan of unemployment insur-
ance if they prefer that to the pool
system of placing all employer con-
tributions in a common fund, and to
allow States to write into their laws
provision for giving employers credit
in the form of reduction in pay
roll tax when they stabilize employ
ment.
Have Direct Bearing.
These two national amendments
have a direct bearing on the course
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