Evening star., 1935-03-30
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Congressional leaders planned TO
ask President Roosevelt today to use
his influence in an effort to end the
eleventh-hour controversy delaying
ANAL action on the "a. $50 900, 900 work.
relief bill.
They said only presidential pressure
could settle the dispute touched of
yesterday by Secretary Ickes' objec-
ton to q requirement that one-third
of the $500, ,o0o, 900 set aside for loans
and grants to States and political SUBJ
divisions be spent directly for wages.
Informal polls by Democratic lead
ers indicated that House and Senate
conferees. who wrote the requirement
into the measure when they met to
prepare the bill for final congressional
action. had not changed their views.
Ickes, the public works administra-
tor, was said to feel that compelling
States and communities to spend one
third of loans and grants for direct
wages would block certain types Of
projects. Land and material costs in
some cases were described as such that
one-third payments for wages would
be impossible.
Would Change Language.
Leaders said Ickes thought the re-
quirement would be acceptaS Sle. how
ever, If its language were changed
to specify that the one-third be spent
for direct or indirect work" Labor
that went into the manufacture of
materials could be included under such
q provisions.
The p. w. A. chiefs protest caused
the House to postpone final action on
the bill. Leaders indicated that, If
the conferees should lean toward
changing the controversial provision,
the House would be asked Monday to
send the works measure back to con-
ference. Otherwise the House may
get . chance Monday to vote for the
bill with the disputed language still
in it. 81
Chairman Glass of the Senate
conferees displayed no inclination
yesterday to yield to Ickes. During
the conference he had advocated re-
quiring that so per cent of the loans
and grants be spent for direct wages,
and he said he certainly would not
go lower than . 331s per cent re-
quirement.
Copeland Stands Firm.
IF We are going to have a work
relief bill, we ought to have work
relief bill and not something else"
commented Senator Copeland, Demo-
crat, of New York, another conferee.
Senator Robinson talked with the
Senate committee after Speaker
Byrns and Chairman Buchanan of
the House Appropriations Committee
informed him of Ickes' stand. It was
reported afterward. however, that the
committee favored no further con-
ference unless the House insisted
upon it.
An aide of the p. w. A. admins
traitor told reporters it would inter-
fere with municipal power projects
particularly, because there is always
OUUOSlIlOu b4AChl dAlu IL WOulQ UC
impossible to show that one-third of
their cost would 60 for direct labor.
Ickes' stand followed intimations
from Secretary Wallace that he dis
approved of the George amendment,
which would make it permissive for
the President to make benefit pay
ments to farmers out of the huge
fund.
Tax Lapse Feared.
It was later established, however,
that the Secretary Of Agriculture
would not make an active fight against
this clause. Ofncials at the A. A. A.
were known to hold hope that the
President could be prevailed upon not
to use this power.
These same officials, nevertheless,
were known to be opposed to the
amendment on the ground that
should the payments be made In this
manner, processing taxes, the financial
bulwark of the A. A. A., would be
allowed to lapse.
After conferring with Speaker
Byrns and Chairman Buchanan,
wallace left with them the impression
that he would not try. to block anal
aetion On tls bill - Il STANDS,