Evening star., 1935-04-04
Glass Presses Compromise
Given Last Night to
House ConfereeS.
"DIRECT" WORK ISSUE
PROVES AN OBSTACLE
Virginian Argues Plan Would
Bar Loans to Cities to Buy
Power Plants.
BY the Associated Press.

The fourth meeting Of the Senate
and House conferees on the s4,S80,-
100000 relief bill ended today with
no agreement on the deadlocking "di-
rect works" amendment
Senator Glass, Democrat, OF Vir-
ginia, chairman of the Senate man.
ayers. emerged from the conference.
which lasted a little more than an
hour. with the statement:
There is no agreement yet. The
conference adjourned subject to the
call of the chairman. I don't know
when there will be another confer
ence."
The two groups Of conferees met in
a private room of the Senate Appro-
priations Committee suite. If leaders
had received any new word from Presi-
dent Roosevelt, they kept it to them
selves.
Senator Glass still pressed the
compromise he offered last night TO
the House conferees. There were sew
eral versions of its terms.
Question Of Direct Labor"
One was that the President would
be authorized to determine what con-
stitutes direct labor" under the pro-
vision requiring that one-third of the
money allocated to States from a
$500, 100000 fund be spent for direct
work, and that labor used in producing
and transporting materials for a prof.
ect could be counted as direct labor.
Glass and his associates have stood
out for the 331a per cent requirement
in the belief no money should be spent
for purchasing existing power or other
plants. Secretary Ickes, supported by
President Roosevelt. has contended
the labor restriction would disqualify
many State projects such as P. W. A.
has aided in the past.
Today was the seventy-fourth day
since the record-making appropriation
measure was introduced in the House
1t passed that branch four days after
introduction. Since then it has been
pending in Senate Committee, Senate
and conference.
House members on the Conference
Committee appeared to be in a con-
ciliatory mood. They declined to ac-
cept the compromise after meeting
last night. however. asserting they
wanted to study it overnight and to
receive assurances that it was salts
factory to the President.
Glass Would Limit Loans.
Glass had argued that his amend
ment would prevent Public Works Ad-
ministrator Ickes from making loans
and grants to cities for purchase Of
existing power plants.
The proposed substitute. although
relaxing the original requirement re-
garding direct labor, still would provide
that third of the loans and grants
be spent for labor of one kind or an
other. This. it was said in Capitol
circles. would be a formidable barrier
to the use of work-relief funds for light
plant purchases in which payments to
labor was a small factor.
Before the unsuccessful meeting to-
day, Senator Robinson of Arkansas,
the Democratic chief, had visited Vice
President Gamers Office and left
smiling broadly. He said at that time
that the dispute had not been settled,
but that he was hopeful of an early
accord.
Good News Is Hailed.
The leaders avowed expectation
that the work relief bill would be sent
quickly on its way toward final roll
call was good news at the Relief Ad-
ministration
With present relief activities cost
ing $5,000,000 day, Officials reported
only $4.000.0 900 on hand and S9,0O0,-
600 available for borrowing in the P.
w. A.
Harry L. Hopkins. the relief admin
istrator. reported yesterday that the
number of families on relief had
dropped from 4,544,933 in January to
4,485, ,076 in February.
He said also that relief costs dropped
per cent-from $3.50, ,787 in Janu-
ary 10 $3.50, 1852, ,466 in February-but
added this was due primarily to the
brevity of the latter month and the
fact that in many localities February
outlays included four work relief pay
rolls, while in January there were five.