Evening star., 1939-06-27
Prospects slim,
For D. {. Milk
Legislation
Schultz Bill Vote
Delayed in House
Unexpectedly
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

OF Congress OF any legislation grow
ing out of the recent milk investi-
cation appeared remote today as a
result of the unexpected action of
the House in delaying for two weeks
final action on the Schultz bill to
open the District milk market to
milk and cream produced in areas
beyond the local milkshed.
The bill remains on the House
calendar as unfinished business"
but it cannot again be called up for
consideration until the next District
day. July 10. BY that time it may
become begged down by national
legislation as Congress rushes toward
adjournment.
Even should the House pass some
form of milk legislation July 10,
there is strong likelihood it would
become ensnared in a legislative
jam in the Senate.
The Schultz bill had passed
through four hours of filibustering
and parliamentary maneuvers yes
terday afternoon, before the House
decided, at Sis pm, it had heard
enough about the milk situation in
Washington for one day, and voted,
89 to So, to call halt.
Dictaphones Denounced.
It's action, however, was precir
tated chiefly by heated discussi,'
over the use of dictaphones duri:
the milk investigation-a discussic
in which the words "poleca
skunk" and "rattlesnake" we
banded about the House floor.
Representative Schafer, Repui
lican of Wisconsin. denounced the.
use as "reprehensible" and sneak
ing" and in violation of the fourth
and fifth amendments of the Con-
stitution.
Representative Bates, Democrat.
Kentucky, chairman of the con
mittee which conducted the mi
Investigation, took full responsibi
| lty for use of the instruments.
II had the dictaphones INSTALL
and I have no apology to make
he declared
Representative McKeough, Demo
crat, of Illinois, began cross-exan
lining Mr.. Bates. He wanted to
know where the dictaphones had
been installed. Mr. Bates told him,
and said:
IF I set trap for a rattlesnake
and a skunk gets into it. that's no
fault of mine"
Then Mr. Schafer had something
to say about persons who set traps
to catch rattlesnakes and polecats.
Representative Hoffman, Repub-
lican, of Michigan leaped to his feet
and demanded that Mr.. Schafer's
words "be taken down" in a move to
have them expunged from the rec
ord. Mr.. Schafer, however, solved
the situation by Withdrawing his re-
marks.
A moment later, Representative
Andrews, Republican, of New York
succeeded in having the House alb
ruptly stop consideration of the bill
with nearly an hour left for debate
on it.
Opponents of the measure, led by
Representative Smith. Democrat, OF
Virginia, used nearly every approved
parliamentary maneuver to forestall
action. There were, for instance,
four roll calls of the House, necessi-
tated by points of no quorum, which
kept the members walking back and
forth from their Offices to the Capt.
tol nearly all afternoon.
Parliamentary Move Fails.
AS the first move Representative
Smith made futile effort to kill the
bill by parliamentary move. He
made two points of order against the
measure, both of which were over
ruled by Speaker Bankhead. Later
he forced the reading by the clerk
of the entire bill before debate
started.
Granted 30 minutes in which to
speak later in the day, Representa-
tive Smith told the House the pub
lie would receive no benefit from the
Schultz bill.
THE only class who could or
would benefit by the bill," he de-
clared. "is the class of chiseling,
cheating, dishonest distributors who
wish to be free to pursue their ne
farlous practices of the past in the
future with immunity from prosecu-
ton and have their delinquencie5
insured by an act of Congress-"
Schultz Defends Bill.
He also made an attack on the
Embassy-Fairfax Dairy and its pres
ident, James J. Ward. This dairy
was recently convicted in Police
Court on charge of importing un-
licensed or so-called bootleg"
cream from Indiana.
Representative Schultz, Democrat,
of Indiana took the lead in fighting
for his own bill. He charged the
milk investigation had disclosed the
existence of vicious monopoly"
composed of producers and distribu-
tors, and predicted enactment Of his
measure would result in lowering the
retail price of milk in Washington.
Mr.. Schultz also declared the milk
and cream that would come into
Washington from Midwestern States
with enactment of his bill would be
equal to, If not superior in quality
and purity to that which now comes
from the local milkshed.
I'VE are not trying to tear down
health" he said. "Our only interest
is to break up the monopoly. There
Is a crying need in the District for
pure milk so the babies and the little
children can get sufficient supply"
Representatives Dirksen Of Illi-
nois and Halleck of Indiana, both
Republicans, strongly supported Mr..
Schulte's bill.
Mr.. Dirksen admitted that sub
stitution of the United States Public
Health Service uniform milk code
for the 1925 District milk control
act might relax some of the present
restrictions surrounding the produc-
ton Of milk in the local milkshed
but insisted the restrictions that
would be relaxed are mot founded
on reason"
Medley Will Speak