Evening star., 1938-01-02
R00SEVE[T'S talk
HOLDS ATTENTION
OF NEW CONGRESS
Address to Be Broadcast
From House About !
Pm. Tomorrow.
PRESIDENT DISCUSSES
AIMS WITH BANKHEAD
Taxes and Monopolies Among
Major Problems Facing Action
During Coming Session.
By G. GOULD LINCOLN.

BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
President Roosevelt goes to the
Capitol tomorrow to address a joint
session of the House and Senate-and
the Nation-on the state Of the Union.
his annual message to the Federal
Legislature.
Congress is assembling again after
a Today holiday, which began when
the special flve-week session ended.
It will have before it, as tasks submit
ted by the administration, all the major
bills which the President recommend
ed for passage at the special session.
1t also will have additional tasks.
The President yesterday discussed
the general legislative situation at a
pot luck" luncheon with Speaker
Bankhead, at which arrangements
were completed for the appearance Of
the Chief Executive at the joint session.
Although Speaker Bankhead said he
talked of numerous subjects with Mr..
Roosevelt, up and down the line" he
gavR no hint Of what new legislative
proposals-if any--the annual message
would contain.
Will Speak About PM.
The opening session threatens to
be tense, particularly with excitement
over what the President has to say.
His address to Congress will be carried
by radio about 1 pm. to the people
throughout the world. Special cards
have been issued for the joint session,
and only those who have such cards
will be admitted.
The President will speak from the
House chamber, where an elaborate
microphone set-up has been installed
The speech will be broadcast over the
world in seven languages.
Unless recent utterances by admin
istration spokesmen have been all
smoke and no fire, Mr.. Roosevelt will,
demand Of Congress new laws to curb
monopolies and truSts-to make big
business behave.
There has been q promise that the
revenue laws will be revised. Revision
with some measure OF repeal-of the
tax laws has been demanded as an
SASSo2 0SSAtCAG W bQSlllCSSs 4lS
House Ways and Means Committee,
where tax legislation originates, has
had q subcommittee at work on q tax
bill for months.
Fate of Federal Budget.
There also has been a hope, II not
a promise, that the Federal budget
will be balanced. The fate Of the
budget is wrapped up in what Con-
gress does in the matter of appropria-
tion bills. what happens to business in
this country, and what changes are
made in the revenue laws. The hope
for a balanced budget during the fiscal
year ending June 80. 1899, has been
on the decline. Particularly will
budget balancing become an impossi-
bility if business recession keeps up.
1t means less revenue
The President will send the annual
budget to Congress within the next
few days, possibly Tuesday or Wednes-
day. He has warned Congress that
the budget must not be exceeded.
Based on this budget will be the an
nual supply bills for the Government.
Increases in appropriations and au-
thorizations Of appropriation for the
Navy have been indicated by Mr.,
Roosevelt and leading members of Con-
gress. Disturbed conditions in the
world, md the more recent contro-
versy with Japan over the sinking of
the Panay, have brought demands
that the United States have q Navy
second to none.
One of Several Items.
This item of naval increase is only
one Of several, however, that will tend
to make it more difficult to balance the
budget. No one knows exactly how
much money will be needed for relief
during the coming year. With un-
employment on the increase, due to
business recession, the sum may be
large.
The administrators crop control
bill, which has passed the House and
Senate in differing forms, threatens
to increase governmental expenditures
greatly. The measure will enter the
conference stage and be whipped into
shape for submission again to both
houses.
The program for Congress as it
stands is heavy indeed, with little
promise of the early adjournment of
which administration leaders have
spoken hopefully.
First on the program-although not
likely to receive attention flrst-are
the wage and hour and crop control
bills.
Next are the Presidents bill for re-
organization Of the executive depart
ment and agencies and the bill for
regional T. v. AS. All these were
included in the program for the spe-
cial session.
Major Proportions.
The tax revision measure, the bills
to curb monopolies, the new housing
bill which has reached the conference
stage, and the appropriation measures
swell the program to major propor-
tions. What other legislation the
President has to recommend for this
session has not yet been disclosed. ..
BY q vote of the House the wage
and hour bill was recommitted during
(see CONGRESS, Page AID