Evening star., 1939-03-28

By the Associated Press.
The House fight over a $3.50 ,000, 900
appropriation for farm parity pay
ments approached a showdown to-
day with Democratic leaders pre-
dieting its adoption.
The highly controversial item
they said, would draw sufficient
support from urban Representatives
in addition to that of farm men,
bers, to put it across. even though
those from the cities have been un-
able to get pledges Of reciprocal sup
port for an emergency $150,000, 900
relief appropriation.
Some leaders of the city bloc de-
clared, however, they would not vote
for the parity fund without "rea-
sonable assurances" that their rural
colleagues would go along on the
proposed relief outlay.
Vote-trading talk between the
two groups has been going on since
last week, with advocates of the
relief ALLEGATION working primarily
to get favorable action on it by the
House Appropriations Committee to-
morrow.
Relief Compromise Seen.
The farm parity funds are in
cluded in the s1,O67 900 900 Agricul-
ture Department appropriation bill,
and would be In addition to the
regular $50O,0OO, 900 crop benefits
Parity payments are designed to
raise farm purchasing power to the
l909-19 level.
1t was learned that opponents Of
the $15O,OO0 900 relief bill would
make a concerted effort in House
subcommittee to slash the fund to
s100 100000 A compromise on
SIPS. 10000 was regarded as pos
sible.
Leaders predicted that whatever
figure was approved by the full
committee probably would be ac-
cepted by the House Thursday or
Friday.
Meanwhile, a movement to make
no relief appropriation at present,
but to authorize the w. P. A. to
spend its available funds at faster
rate, gained bipartisan support in
the Senate, according to Senator
Vandenberg, Republican, of Michi-
gan.
Senator Vandenberg contended
the w. P. A. has sufficient money to
continue operations without cutting
its rolls until June 7.
Slash In Rolls Due.
Administration Senators SHE'D
away from his plan, however. Sew
eral declared Congress could approve
an additional appropriation as
quickly as it could approve the Van
denberg method.
None of these believed final ac-
ton was possible before next week
in which case reduction of 400 600
w. P. A. workers would become
effective
AS soon as the present relief prob
lem is settled, the House Appropria-
tions Committee Is expected to begin
planning a thorough investigation
of the w. P. A. This was ordered
yesterday by a House vote of 352 to
q.
1t was authoritatively reported
that Chairman Taylor of the Ap-
preparations Committee PROBABLY
would head the subcommittee max
ing the inquiry.
Ruling on w. P. A. Wage.
One problem of w. P. A. manage
ment was settled yesterday by At
torney General Murphy in response
to an inquiry from President Roose-
welt as to whether the 25-cent
minimum pay standard of the Wage
Hour Act should apply to w. P. A
workers.
The Attorney General ruled that
the rate should apply only where
w. P. A. workers have similar oc-
cupations in the same locality" with
persons under the Wage-Hour Act
1T appears to be an inescapable
conclusion he wrote, that the
minimum wage of Is cents per hour
is not prescribed for all possible
classes of workers employed by the
Works Progress Administration any
more than it is prescribed for all
classes of workers employed by
private industry"