The Coolidge examiner., 1939-05-25
ASST APPEARS TO
Your Congressman

In these days or visits by presl
dents and kings, first ladies and
queens, no doubt there are some
who would like me to say something
regarding distinguished personages
on the Washington scene. That
dare not do for fear OF social diff
culties, so | shall stick TO the legis
lative program which seems OF
most concern to Arizona. The say
ings of one president, as well as
the doings of one president, are OF
concern to Arizona when that
president happens to be our own
Most OF the debate in both cham
bers this week has concerned the
Argentine beef topic. Western
COngressmen and Senators OF
whatever political faith, expressed
their views regarding the Presi'
dents unfortunate reference to
Argentine canned beef. The Senate
passed the Naval appropriation
bill which the House passed two
weeks ago with such a stringent
buy-American clause in 1t that 1t
will be impossible for anyone to
buy Argentine canned beef for our
navy after July l this year. Rest
assured it was Western men who
emphasized the buy-American plan,
not only with reference to beef for
the navy, but also strategic war
minerals for the army and navy.
For some weeks past Western
Congressman have tried to get a
modification of the Wage and Hour
Law. both in the interest of min
ing and agriculture. When the
Chairman of the HOUSE Labor
Committee saw last week that
there was little likelihood of pass.
i.g an amendatory bill under
suspension of rule by two thirds
vote, the bill was not called up.
Probably it will reappear and come
before the House June 4. and in a
much more satisfactory form for
the farmers. Rocky Mountain
congressman are still trying to
improve this legislation for isolat-
ed mining camps.
So difficult is it to get anything
through Congress for the sparsely
inhabited West that we Western
Congressman try every conceivable
way for what we want. Before In
PRODUCING a bill to establish Mines
Finance Commission, we had asked
tie SEC to set up a division with
in itself to deal with mining needs
and at last the Commission has
seen fit to do So One never knows
how much the introduction Of a
bill stimulates a related admins
trative agency to action.
IN the huge agricultural ap-
preparation the House lost the
quarter of a billion dollar sum for
parity payments on farm crops,
but the Senate restored parity pay
ments to that bill and also included
tte s113.00O,OOO for disposal OF
surplus farm products. Cannon OF
Missouri is the ablest parli
rlentarian in the House. He told
me today that he would use every
possible means to keep parity pay
ments, and the other item too, in
the bill in conference, and hope to
carry both of them when they
came to a separate vote in the
House. Arizona farmers are writ
ing me to give him full support.
The chances for moratorium or
mining claim assessment work
seem to be simmer every passing
day. While l am not saying that
it is impossible for such a bill te
pass, it looks more unlikely now
that it did this time last year. My
sympathies go out to some of the
hard pressed claim owners who
have written me in regard to the
matter.
The REA project, Arizona No
Il, was approved last week ant
funds allotted in the amount o.
s36S,000 This project will be O
interest directly to about sever
hundred patrons in Graham am
C0chise counties around Saffort
and Wilcox. Other Rural Electrifi
cation Administration projects IL
Arizona are receiving close con