The Washington times., 1937-03-31
SEEKS ACTION
0NBR0WNL0W
REPORT
Friends Say This Will
Be Last 'Ought' Bill
For Session
BY EARL GOODWIN


It is being related in higher Ad-
ministration circles that when
the President gets his court plan
through Congress he will then con-
centrate on his plan to reorganize
the administration Of government
as contained in the Brownlow re-
portland after that, very little
else in the way of new proposals.
This means that the Brownlow
report stands Number Two on the
list of Ought" legislation, this
term being Mr.. Roosevelt's own
name for the must" legislation
which has been a newspaper term
ever since the first presidential leg
islative proposals marking the be-
ginning of the New Deal.
G. A. o. a Snag
Coupled with this we'll authen-
ticated rumor is the suggestion
from one of the Presidents ad-
. visers that if the section concern
ing the Comptroller General could
be eliminated it would be easier to
pass the legislation.
These two items on the Presi-
dents list of things that ought
to be done" point the way to the
further fact that the President
is presumed by some of his cabi-
net members to be ready to cut
down on proposals for reform.
In other words he will be salts
fled, for this session of Congress
at least, to have "liberalized" the
Supreme Court, to have revamped
the Government Set-up and to
have cut down as many of the
emergency alphabetical organiza-
tions as would no longer be
needed.
The Presidents plans are said
to include the end of Federal
Housing in 1899 unless there is
further business need for the
stimulus furnished by that or
ganization to private financing
of homes. Home Owners Loan
Corporation is now a liquidating
organization engaged almost en-
tirely in collections, and will no
doubt remain intact until the
end Of the collection period many
years hence.
Crop Insurance Aid
There can be no doubt, either,
that under the present Administra-
ton there would always be a
strong Federal hand in agricul-
ture; if that end OF the Admins
tration has its way there will be a
crop insurance corporation set up,
owned by the Government, and
conducting an intricate business
of insuring farm crop yields and
storing up a surplus of grain and
other crops by taking premium
pay IN wheat, corn or whatever
crop is being insured.
Many of the Presidents legis-
lative plans would be solved if
Congress passes the reorganiza-
tion bill and provides two new de-
partments-Welfare and Public
Works. Present conservative talk
among high officials indicates the
Administration would very much
like it if the matter of relief could
be administered, so that as far as
the Government is concerned, 1t
could be reduced merely to mat
ter of grants of money handed
over to States.
The Administration feels the
urge of the Mayors of large cities
and Governors of industrial States
for larger appropriations for
Works Progress Administration or
for some competent mode of pro-
viding work for jobless on Federal
funds. This item in Government
affairs is one which many bust
ness men believe will lead to
higher taxes unless curbed.
PWA Lines Liked
In this connection, there are
among the Presidents advisers
many men who would like to see
the WPA type of relief ended and
all government aid to joblesS
worked through a public works
program of the kind Secretary
Ickes has administered.
The President is said to feel that
the whole matter of Administra-
tion of public works and relief
would be long way toward set
tlement if his reorganization plans
are enacted. This would include a
long range planning board whose
function would be to put public
work on a scientific basis, rather
than the usual catch-aS-catch can
and pork barrel level.