Evening star., 1937-09-01

Vltil VIC 6AONAll6 pA6AAC ASNC Va CAAC
United States, now having passed the
stupendous figure of $1,000 900 900, the
summary of appropriations for all pur-
poses made during the past session of
Congress which have been compiled by
Representative Taber of New York. rank
ing Republican member of the Appro-
priations Committee presented star
ting total Estimating appropriations
by the recent session. including emer-
gency relief, at more than sl000O000 900.
Mr.. Taber asserts that 1.-The worst part
of the present situation" is that prac
tically ali of these funds will have been
spent by the end of the present fiscal
year. They indicate, he adds, that there
will be a deficit of anywhere between
three and four billion dollars. and an
other large increase in the public debt.
Pointing to a new tax bill which is to
be considered at the next seSSion-in
November or January-and which is
estimated to raise between 5000 900, 900
and 3O0,0O00 900, the New York Repre-
sentative states that this would be but
drop in the bucket" toward balancing
the budget under the spending program
which the Government has inaugurated.
How far the Wagner -Steagall housing
law with its appropriation of $500 900, 600
for the purpose of new dwellings
throughout the United States will go
toward filling the existing shortage, is a
question which has been engaging the
serious attention of interested authorities
here. Estimating that the allotted sum
could provide $4,000 new habitations an
nually. it is pointed out that this is less
than one-tenth of the annual require
ments of the Nation in new housing
facilities. Unless. therefore, this Govern
ment initiative in the attempt at slum
clearance and the erection of economic
ally priced homes should result in a
general building boom, which Is held to
be doubtful, only a small percentage of
those whom it is aimed to benefit will
receive any advantages therefrom. This
means, these authorities assert. that the
Government having started the expert
ment' would be obliged to expand it into
large-scale production with an expendi-
ture of billions of dollars in order to
make real success of the project. The
Government thus would be put into
active competition with commercial
builders and operations all over the
country.
Secretary Hull's program of reciprocal
trade agreements between the United
States and other nations of the world
which already has resulted in the con-
clusion of Is such treaties, moved step
forward this week with the announce
ment that formal negotiations are about
to begin on this subject with Czechoslo-
vakia. The principal articles on which
the United States makes known it's will
ingness to grant tariff concessions in re-
turn for the removal of certain barriers
against American products are boots
and shoes, glass and chinaware and
kitchen utensils. Encouraged by the
general approval which has been voiced
of this policy on which he embarked
almost Immediately after he entered the
cabinet, Secretary Hull is continuing his
efforts to expand international trade by
this means. In the case of two countries
with which such negotiations were
started, no results have been obtained
in Spain because of the revolution. and
in Italy because of the situation created
by the Ethiopian War.
X
Reports reaching Washington indicate
wide variety of opinion in commercial
and business circles as to the effect
which the Governments cotton program
will have on the marketing of that
product and on the general world situa-
ton in that particular field. With a
guaranteed price fixed by the Commodity
Credit Corporation at nine cents pound
and subsidy Of three cents = pound on
q large part Of this years large crop,
contingent on the producers agreeing Ito
participate in and comply With the 1888
adjustment program" the opinion Is ex-