Evening star., 1935-02-07
WORK-REL|EF BILL
AMENDED TO PAY
PREVAILING WAGE
Senate Committee Defles
Administration Plan
for Low Scale.
PRESIDENT GRANTED
POWER OF PURCHASE
$4,OOO,OOO,0OO Stands as Conserv-
atives Fail to Raise Dole
Issue Again.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The Senate Appropriations Commit
tee today further amended the admin
istration S488O. 900 900 work-relief bill
by requiring labor on all public projects
to be paid mot less than the prevailing
wage" of private industry in the
locality.
The amendment. offered by Senator
McCarran Democrat, of Nevada, and
approved u to 8. was in direct con-
fict with administration plans to pay
wages below those prevailing in pri-
vate industry to avoid drawing workers
away from private employment.
This defeat was offset in part
however. by restoration of one pro-
vision of the bill authorizing the
President to acquire property by pur-
chase or the power of eminent domain
and to Improve develop. grant, sell
lease with or without the privilege
of purchasing) or otherwise dispose
of any such property or interest
therein
Applied for Western Lands.
Chairman Glass. Democrat, OF Vlr-
ginia. explained this provision, re-
stored at the request of Senator Nor
beck. Republican. of South Dakota,
was put back to permit the purchase
or condemnation of certain Western
lands. Senator Carey, Republican, OF
Wyoming. said the language was
needed 20 carry forward the vast
tree shelter program from the Cana
dian to the Mexican border.
The committee did not conclude re-
writing the bill. but called another
session for tomorrow, when it was
expected the work would be finished
No attempt was made to revive the
Democratic conservative substitute to
slash the s40O0,000,000 work fund in
half and confine the measure to di-
rect aid or the dole This lost by
a 1910 tie vote yesterday.
Byrns Fights Dole.
Another amendment adopted today,
IS to 7, provides that all conStrUc-
ton work on which skilled labor to
the extent of 10 per cent or more
was required, shall be performed
by contract awarded to the lowest
qualified bidder"
At the other end of the Capitol.
meanwhile, Speaker Byrns made his
opposition clear to any substitution of
a dole for the S4000,0C0,000 work
plan as an action that would "ab-
Solutely destroy the fundamental idea
of the measure
A further development in the
projected public works program was
warning by Gov. James A. Curley of
Massachusetts that the Government
no longer can expect cities and States
to contribute to such projects.
Cities Declared without Funds.
VERY few American cities and very
few States are in a position to make
further expenditures" Curley told
reporters. LAS a result of wholesale
borrowing last year, they cannot as
sumo further debts. If the admin
istration's S4,000,00O,000 relief fund
is to be expended it must be on 100
per cent Federal grant basis. I can't
see any other way"
Three Democratic members of the
committee are due back in the city
before the committee takes final vote.
Leaders believed two of these, Tyd-
ings, Maryland, and Mcclellan. Ten
nessee would support the admins
tration. They are returning from a
Philippine mission.
Senator Overton of Louisiana. who
has been ill in Baltimore. was not
counted for the bill as it stands. but
administration leaders did not know
definitely how he would vote.
So crucial was the situation con-
sidered that leaders called the whole
Senate into session today to swear
Mcclellan, who had not yet taken the
oath. Previously they had planned to
give the Senate a day off because
there is no legislation to consider.
Senate Backing Expected.
Whatever the committee might do,
Democratic leaders expressed the be-
lief the Senate as whole, in the last
analysis, would not stand for cutting
the Roosevelt bill to pieces.
The insurgent movement yesterday
found Senator Glass and three other
Democrats-Adams, Colorado; Cope
land, New York. and McCarran,
lined up with six Republicans to cut
two billion off the measure. The Re-
publicanS we're Senators Hale. Keves.
Steiwer, Dickinson, Townsend and
Carey.
Senator Byrnes, Democrat. of South
Carolina, who led the administration
fight-and kept in close touch with
the White House while doing ibid
not regard the tie vote as an index
of what the Senate would do. Adams
and Copeland, however, indicated they
may carry their fight to the floor.
Supporting the Roosevelt program
in the vote yesterday were these
Democrats: Hayden. Thomas. Okla
homa; Byrnes, Russell, Coolidge,
Bankhead, O'Mahoney, McAdoo, Tru-
man, and Republican Norbeck. Sen
ator Nye, Republican, of North Da-
kota was reported as not voting.
Adams proposed an original sub
stitute to cut the entire amount to
81 $50, 100000, but before the tie vote
Copeland boosted this a billion dollars.
Doubts Plan Will Work.
The Coloradan said he did not be-
lieve the works program would be
successful and that if almost $5,000,-
100000 was spent without the desired
effect, the result would be disastrous. !"
He said the Government might as well
have this money to help maintain its
good credit and national defense if the
need arises.
Experts have offered no available
plan to put these people to work. he
said, land in my opinion it is geo.
graphically impossible. What we need
is development of productive industry"