Evening star., 1935-02-17

NCO11Ulnu6O fTOIIl E1TSI TdSc.J
Ways and Means Committee already
has completed its hearings on the eco
nomic security bill and is at work
writing it up. Rumor has it that the
measure will be changed in many par
ticulars when it is reported out. 1t
probably will not reach the House for
another week or 10 days. The Senate
committee will null over the bill in
the meantime and hopes to have 1t
ready for report to the Senate soon
after the bill has passed the House.
The immediate task of the admin
iStration is to get the work relief bill
through the Senate in the shape 1t de-
sires. 1t had narrow squeak in the
Senate Appropriations Committee.
where the McCarran prevailing wage"
amendment and the Adams amend
ment to lop 81 900 ,000,0 off the total
appropriation were narrowly defeated.
Both these amendments are to be
offered from the floor OF the Senate
"at the proper time" Senator Nc
Nary of Oregon, minority leader, is
Of the opinion that not more than two
will vote against the prevailing wage
amendment. Add to the Republican
strength for the amendment, Senators
La Toilette, Progressive, of Wisconsin,
and Shipstead, Farmer-Labor, of Min
nesota, and there is a potential bloc
Of 25 in favor of the amendment. If
rs of the SO Senate Democrats vote
for the amendment, 1t will be adopted.
Big Powers Removed.
Already the Senate Committee has
stripped from the bill many of the
extraordinary powers for the President
which were carried in the measure
as it passed the House.
Movements to write into the bill
direction that the World War veterans
bonus be paid out of the funds ap-
propriated have been started on both
the Republican and Democratic sides
Of the chamber. Indeed, the Repub-
lican leadership of the Senate has
been approached by both these groups
in an effort TO get solid G. o. P. sup
port for the bonus amendment The
proposal was turned down. Some OF
tA4S ANN PdOAANdAA 1lSuLC CAldI II
would be poor politics; that it would
ALLEVIATE the millions of persons need
ing relief from the Government and
also ALLEVIATE the very considerable
number of people in the country who
do not believe the bonus should be
paid at this time.
The fact the Republican leadership
is not willing to go along with the
bonus amendment does not mean,
howevery that If such an amendment
is presented a number of Republ-
cans would not vote for it. On the
contrary, they would. And so would
some of the Democrats. If the Repub-
licanS as a body however, declared
for the bonus amendment, they would
lay themselves open TO a charge Of
/ partisan politics.
Separation OF Bills Aim.
1t would take more than $4,000, ,000,-
900 to pay off the veterans bonus,
which would leave less than $780,
100000 for relief. OF course, the
amendment may be finally written so
| as to add an extra two billion dol
ldlS W t4lC lOLdl I4lC Dl4l.
Such a move mould be resisted
strongly. There is a disposition to
keep the bonus separate from the
relief measure.
Advocates of currency imitation,
among them Senator Thomas of Okla
homa, are giving consideration to an
amendment which they may offer to
the work relief bill. 1t has been sug-
gested in some quarters that the
Townsend S200-a month old age PEN
sion might be presented as an amend
ment to the bill And there is the
possibility the Black 30-hour work
amendment.
Organized labor which is strongly
backing the McCarran amendment
for the payment of the prevailing
wage to workers on relief projects. IS
leaving no stone unturned. President
William Green has sent a letter to
each of the 95 Senators asking them
to vote for the amendment. He said
in part:
I'VE want to preserve our American
standards Of wages, of life and living.
We cannot permit a temporary relief
measure to be used as an instrument
tality through which the standards
shall be lowered.
Please be assured that am count
ing on your help and support in be-
half Of the McCarran prevailing wage
amendment to the public works re-
lief bill"
Russell Plan Opposed.
The letter is signed by President
Green. 1t declared that the So-called
Russell substitute for the McCarran
amendment, adopted by the commit
tee and supported by administration
forces. Is entirely unsatisfactory to
organized labor. The Russell substi-
tute authorizes the President to fix
the wage scales-presumably to pay
the so-called security wage" averag-
ing $50 month for $500 900 workers
now on relief rolls. 1t further pro-
vides that if the operation of the
security wage beats down the pre-
vailing wage in private industry, the
President is to look anto the matter
and if he finds that to be the case,
he must then pay the prevailing wage
Democratic Senators who like to
support the administration are frankly
worried over the McCarran amend
ment. They say they do not under
stand why the President insists upon
the payment CT the security wage or
why Harry l.. Hopkins, relief admin
iStratOr, wants it.