Evening star., 1936-05-31
ACTION DEBATED
|. SHOULD PARLEyS
TOMORROW FAIL
Senate Group Prepared to
Insist on SIS, 700,0 900 for
Coming Year.
CHAIRMAN OFFERS
COMPROMISE PROGRAM
Asks House to Agree on Highe-.
Figure in Return for
Concessions.
BY J. A. O'LEARY

Passage by the Senate of his res
olution for a commission to study the
fiscal relations controversy is being
considered by Senator Thomas, Demo-
crat, OF Oklahoma, as a possible next
move to get the main issue in thu
deadlocked District appropriation bill
before the House again, if the House
conferees turn down the Senate's lat
est proposal for settlement of differ
ences tomorrow morning
The Senate conferees are prepared
however, to insist that the present
Federal payment of s5,700,000 recon-
mended in the Presidents budget be
continued for the coming year, while
the proposed commission prepared a
recommendation to the next Congress
on what the Governments share
should be thereafter.
The Oklahoman suggested yesterday
that if no agreement is reached to-
morrow, and the Senate should then
SEND the commission proposal TO the
House, that body thereby would be
given an opportunity of indicating by
vote whether it is willing to break
the deadlock.
Effect of Resolution,
The commission resolution would
not. in itself, provide for continuance
of the $5,700,00O figure. That ques-
ton would remain to be settled sep
arately by the conferees.
Senator Thomas indicated he is con-
sidering this move on the theory, how
ever, that if the House approved Gre
ating the commission, that action
would facilitate a subsequent agree
ment by the House to accept TIE Presi-
dents recommendation to continue the
present lump sum for the coming year.
The House, of course. might not
take immediate action on the COM
mission resolution if it came over from
the Senate, and Senator Thomas made
1t clear that he may decide over the
weekend not to follow that course
He emphasized he is trying in every
way possible to save the bill before
resortlng to continuing resolution,
which would keep the city going. but
without new improvement projects.
Regardless of the course followed.
however. the Senate conferees are de-
termined to stand to the end by the
S5,7OO,O00 figure on the Federal pay
ment. If all other efforts to reach an
agreement fail and the continuing
resolution is brought out. all indica-
flnnS fho ,-;l1
the s5.700,ooo in that resolution. as in
the bill
BlantOn Resolutions.
The House early last week adopted
resolutions by Representative Blanton
OF Texas inStructing the House con-
ferees not to yield on the $1,000. 900
lump sum, on the elimination of char
acter education. nor on the ban
against outside work by District Off
cials.
In his letter to the House conferees
Friday night, Senator Thomas sug-
gested compromises on character edu-
cation and the question of outside
employment that would meet largely.
If not wholly, what the House is seek
ing to accomplish. Along with these
concessions, he proposed that the
House agree to the s5,700,OO0 lump
sum. with the commission to deter
mine what the figure should be in
future
Senator Thomas said that if this
fails as a basis of agreement tomor-
row, formal report of disagreement
Will be drawn up for signature and
submission to the House and Senate.
If the dispute is then transferred
from the bill to a continuing resolu-
ton, all indications are that the SEN
ate's position in support of the Presi-
dents budget recommendation on the
lump sum will be sustained as the
date of adjournment approaches.
The meeting of the conference to-
morrow in the House Appropriations
Committee room is a departure from
the precedent of holding such con-
ferences on the Senate side, but SEN
ator Thomas indicated yesterday he
would be willing to meet in any part
of the building if that would facilitate
an agreement.