Evening star., 1939-03-24
Economy
Continued From First Page.)

600 for relief He made his plea
because the prospects that the House
Appropriations Committee may rec
ommend only $100,000,OOO for w. P.
A. needs through June 30.
President Roosevelt asked for
$50, 900 900, asserting that if it were
not provided 100000 persons would
be dismissed from w. P. A. rolls.
House leaders said they hoped to
drive the agriculture supply bill to
passage late today and promised a
Saturday session if it were not ap-
proved by tonight's adjournment.
Earlier Congressional economy
leaders had replied to a Federal Of
ficial's challenge to cut spending by
calling on President Roosevelt to as
sumo leadership in a retrenchment
drive.
The issue was put up to Congress
by Chairman Mariner S. Eccles of
the Federal Reserve Board, who said
that a majority believes prosperity
will return with balanced budget
and that in a democracy such a
viewpoint should be made effective.
Mr.. Eccles, appearing before a spe-
cial Senate Silver Committee yester-
day, repeated his own belief that
continued spending is necessary.
Adams Sounds keynote.
Senator Adams, Democrat, of
Colorado sounded the keynote of
the economy groups reply with this
assertion:
Every time Congress tries to cut
expenditures, it runs into admins
tration opposition. If there was
some cooperation by the admins
tration we might get something
done.'
A similar opinion was expressed
by Chairman Harrison of the Sem
ate Finance Committee, who said
the American people wanted Con-
gress, acting in cooperation with
the Executive" to balance the bud
get as swiftly as it was practical.
At his press conference, the Presi-
dent refused to comment on the
Eccles statement.
While the House was approaching
vote on the cord-breaking ST.
066 100000 Agriculture Department
appropriation bill. farm members
quietly were pledging support to
the full relief fund in return for
promises from city members to re-
frain from trying to slash the farm
bill, which called for $265 900 900
higher benefit payments than Mr..
Roosevelt contemplated.
The Appropriations Committee, by
tie vote of II to II, yesterday ap-
propriated $500, 900, 900 for soil con-
servation benefits and $3.50, ,0O0, 900
for parity payments to producers
of wheat, corn, cotton, rice and
tobacco. Under the bill, farmers
would be eligible for $43 3,0OO, 900
more in benefit payments of all
kinds than they received this year.
It was on this point that econ
omy minded members rebelled.
They said their laborious task of
cutting a million or two million dol
lars from each appropriation bill SO
far this year would be more than
offset by the action of the farm
measure.
Representative Woodrum, Demo-
crat, Of Virginia, leader of the
House economy forces, commented:
''The idea of the Appropriations
Committee holding appropriations
within the budget estimates is out
the windoW-gone for the session.
This is the first bill appropriating
items not recommended by the
budget"
Republicans indicated they would
let the Democrats fight out the
economy issue among themselves.
Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio
said he felt there was no use in
the Republicans taking the initiative
in a retrenchment drive without
assurances of Democratic support.
He intimated such support was
doubtful because of administration
opposition.
Senator Byrd, Democrat, Of Vir-
gina hailed Mr.. Eccles' statement
as "a frank admission that business
men and the public generally believe
deficit spending to be a deterrent
to business recovery"
Senator Byrd suggested that Con-
gress cancel all lump sum appro-