Evening star., 1939-01-06

Members of the Senate Unempl0-
ment Committee agreed informally
today to attempt to earmark the
future distribution of Federal funds
with a formula which would strip
the w. P. A. administrator of vir-
tually all discretion in the alloca-
ton of State quotas.
Chairman Byrnes, Democrat, of
South Carolina, said the committee
would meet next week to 60 over
various suggestions to be made by
members with the hope of evolving
simple formula that can be in
serted in relief appropriation bills.
Senator Murray, Democrat, of
Montana, an administration sup
porter, said he favored placing such
formula in the proposed $875, ,00O, 900
emergency relief appropriation
taken under consideration this
morning by House appropriation
subcommittee
Asked Changes Be Delayed.
President Roosevelt, in requesting
the emergency fund yesterday, spe-
cifically asked that any changes in
the method of distributing relief
be delayed until Congress has given
the matter careful consideration. At
the same time. he requested that
the emergency fund be appropriated
post-haste
Il am in favor of taking away
from the w. P. A. administrator the
discretion he has had in allocating
funds to the States Senator Murray
declared. Il think we can work out
a simple formula that will guarantee
each State its just share and see
no reason why it shouldn't be put
in the emergency bill"
Senator Clark, Democrat, of Mis-
souri, said committee members may
follow the formula, with some
changes, by which Federal highway
aid has been distributed for years.
This formula takes into account the
highway mileage, population and
area, whereas relief formula might
substitute need for mileage.
Merger Suggested.
Senator Clark said also he would
propose closer cooperation between
relief agencies, seeking specifically
to merge the separate United States
Employment Service with the Social
Security setup.
Congress, meanwhile, asked w. P.
| A. to show why it wants a sum as
large as s875 ,000, 900 to operate until
July /.
| An appropriations subcommittee
called Col. F. c. Harrington, w. P.
A. administrator, as the first wit
ness this morning in hearings which
members said would be devoted to
close examination of relief needs.
At the same time Senator Adams,
Democrat, of Colorado, said that if
the House does not cut the pro-
posed fund, there would be
determined effort in the Senate
Appropriations Committee to do so.
THE $875 900 900 looks to me like
higher rate of expenditure than
we have at present, in the face of
many indications of improving
business conditions" said Senator
Adams.
Larger Than Expected.
The President declared in q spe-
cial message yesterday that the.
money would be required to keep
3yO00,00 on w. P. A. rolls in Feb
ruary and March, with the number
diminishing gradually to 2,7OO,OOO
in June. Present w. p. A. funds, he
said, will be exhausted at the end
of this month.
Senator Byrnes and Representative
Woodrum, Democrat, of Virginia,
floor managers for relief bills, said
the $875, 100000 figure was larger
than they had expected. Repre-
sentative Woodrum explained he
understood the request was to be
for only $500, 00,OOO.
The Senate and the House re-
cessed over the week end after hear
ing the Presidents budget and relief
messages yesterday.
The President was asked at his,
press conference today about pros
pective special messages on subjects
not already covered in his three
messages to Congress so far. He
replied that he had not decided
whether to set forth his views on an
1Seo CONGPESC pooe A30