Evening star., 1939-03-08
House Committee
Cuts Interior Bill
By %,254,188
US. H. A. SuIories Hit and
Pay Item SIoshed-
By $500, 900
ES the Associated Press,

By $2.5o0, 900
Ey the Associated Press,
The House Appropriations Com
mittee whitfield s6,254,188 today of
the amount requested to run the
Interior Department for the year
starting July /, but gave the agency
$l4 1851 ,991 more than 1t had for
the current fiscal year.
The committee recommended a
total Of $160,578, ,905 to finance the
departments manifold activities, in
cluding reclamation, Indian service,
national park maintenance, the
Geological Survey and the Office OF
Education.
For the current fiscal year. the
departments regular appropriation
amounted to s129,678,460, but de-
ficiency items boosted the total to
$l45, ,72e,sl3.
Principal reductions effected in
the budget estimates included denial
of $2500,000 recommended for air.
conditioning of five Federal build
ings In Washington; $1,000 900
Topped of a $5,000,000 item for con-
tinuation of construction on the
Blue Ridge and Natchez Trace
parkway and s1,0o0,0o0 cut from
the estimate for the Bonneville
Dam power project.
U. S. H. A. Salaries Hit.
The committee explained, how
ever, that some Of these savings were
temporary because the expenditures
would have to be made later.
A 100000 slash was recommended
In the Bituminous Coal Commits
sion's funds for next year as neces-
Sary II expenditures of that agency
were to be held within the antici-
pated receipts from the l per cent
excise tax on soft coal under the
Guffey Coal Act. The commission
still would get 81 100000 for the next
fiscal year.
Criticizing what it called excessive
paid some officials of the
United States Housing Authority
and the U. S. H. AS proposals for
numerous promotions "in many Of
the higher salary grades" the COM
mittee cut the authority's admins
trative expense fund from s7O0O,OOO
to $4,500,000 and proposed ban on
promotions in positions paying
$4,000 or more yearly.
Among other items in the bill was
$l.070,000 for the Government
owned reindeer industry in Alaska.
The committee asserted, however, 1t
would be "uneconomical and un-
desirable" to attempt the shipment
OF reindeer to the United States
for commercial purposes and said
1t was opposed to any program of
this nature being instituted"
Bureau of Mines Increase,
A $35,OOO increase was recon-
for the Bureau of Mines to
permit 1t to carry on experimental
and research work in connection
with the production in metallic
which the bureau said
was valuable for aircraft construc.
tion. A new process discovered by
the bureau makes possible produc-
tion OF a much higher grade of the
metal than is now available, the
committee was told.
Some OF the principal items in the
bill included $50 622 900 for the Rec
lamation Service: S3293,00O for the
Geological Survey; So 1925, ,76O for the
Bureau of Mines; s20,434, ,2S2 for the
Park Service; sl6264 100
for vocational education, and s34,-
l32 ,003 for the Bureau of Indian
Affairs.
During subcommittee hearings on
the bill, 1t was disclosed that $751;
100000 would be added to the Ma
tons coal bill when the Bituminous
Coal Commission fixes minimum
prices required by law. Chairman
Percy Tetlow Of the commission
made the estimate. explaining the
would be based on cost of
production.
IL Cents Per Ton Boost.
If price levels are raised to equal
the cost, 1t would mean raising of
the average price of coal II cents
a ton-s37 100000 based on the
1887 production" Mr.. Tetlow told
the Appropriations Subcommittee.
You do not know whether the
setting up Of the Bituminous Coal
Commission has been of any bene-
f1t to the operators or miners since
you established it?" Representative
johnson. Democrat, of Oklahoma
asked.
No" the chairman replied. Ger
tainly there had been no advan-
tages yet to the producers. There
cannot be because there has been
no minimum price established"
Representative Rich, Republican.
OF Pennsylvania remarked that
neither the minor nor operator had
benefited.
Il will not say that" Mr.. Tet-
low replied. Because there have
been out Of this situation no labor
difficulties in the industry"
Chairman Tetlow disagreed with
John Carson of the commission s
Consumers Counsel, contending
the commission could help the coal
industry without hurting competi-
tive fuels, such as oil and gas and
without their regulation.
Can't Be Done, Says Carson.
Il am absolutely satisfied" Mr..
Carson said, that you could not
establish and maintain fair prices
for bituminous coal without reeu-
lating the competing fuels. I think
you possibly can under this act
establish prices which will hold the
ship together for a year or more and
give you an opportunity to see what
can be DONE"
Congress also learned that the