Evening star., 1935-03-08
RADICAL PENSION
BILL IS APPROVED
BY HOUSE GROUP
Labor Committee Votes
Lundeen Measure, 7.6, in
Reconsideration Move.
MEMBERS DEADL0CKED,
TT, FOR DELAY AT FIRST
Charges of Communistic Backing
Banded Back and Forth
in Bitter Session.

After 1t had been tabled once.
through tie vote, the radical Lundeen
old-age pension and unemployment
insurance bill was approved by the
House Labor Committee today, voting
for a second time after one Of the
committee members had been called
away from the hearing.
The committee, at one of the bitter
est sessions in many years, first voted,
to Z, on motion to postpone con-
sideration of the bill indefinitely.
Then, after Representative Keller,
Democrat, OF Illinois, had been sum
moned to his Office by his secretary,
another ballot was taken, and the
7-to-6 favorable vote resulted.
Charges that the Lundeen bill car
ries the support of Communist or
ganizations we're banded back and
forth during long and heated session.
There was unusually plain talk across
the table while the effort to get ia
vorable action was being led by Repre-
sentative Lundeen, Farmer-Labor, Of
Minnesota, and Representative Dunn,
Democrat. Of Pennsylvania, chairman
Of the subcommittee which conducted
hearings on the measure.
Backed by Radical Group.
The bill has had the backing of
numerous groups urging more radical
legislation than that of the admin
istration supported Wagner Lewis
measure.
The Lundeen bill would let the Fed
eral Government pay unemployment
and old<age insurance equal to pre-
vailing wages. provided the payment
was not less than $40 weekly plus So
for each dependent.
The bill would make a direct general
appropriation for financing the job
and old-age insurance without provid-
ing any means of raising revenue.
The administration bill, now pend
ing before the House Ways and Means
Committee, would levy special taxes
for the financing Of most phases OF
its program.
Where the Lundeen bill establishes
but one class of old-age pension, the
administrations measure would estab-
lish three. The Lundeen minimum
pension would be $40 a month; the
administrations bill sets no minimum.
but limits to SIS month the Fed
eral Governments contribution to a
NEEDY" old-age pension.
The administration bill also pro-
vides pensions based on taxes collected
on pay rolls, as well as old-age an
nuities.
Cost Set at $4,000 ,0O0, 900 Yearly.
1t is estimated that the Lundeen
bill would cost some $4,000, 100000 or
$1,000, 100000 a year. Under 1t un-
employment relief would start imme-
diately with unemployment instead
of waiting for six weeks as is provided
in the Wagner-Lewis bill.
Several members of the committee
said today's action in favorably re-
porting a measure which has no
chance of being passed in the House
would result in the Labor Committee
losing its standing and influence.
Chairman Connery Of the Labor
Committee was instructed to apply to
the Rules Committee for a special
rule to give the measure privileged
status
1t was Connery who cast the decid-
ing vote reporting out the bill. He
said he is in favor OF having the
measure brought up on the floor under
an open rule, because he believes that
through full discussion 1t will be pos
sible to put through a measure which
will do justice to the working men.