Evening star., 1940-04-27
Act,
Revision Urged;
Senators Cool
Colleagues Regard
Adams Suggestion
As Premature
BY the Associated Press.

BY tne Associated PresS.
Relaxation of the six-month.old
Neutrality Act was proposed in con.
gressional circles today, but imme.
diate reaction was that the sugges.
ton was premature.
Senator Adams, Democrat, Of
Colorado, told reporters he favored
wiping out the restrictions which
forbid Americans to extend credits
to belligerent governments and pro-
hibit American shipping from enter
Ing the combat zones proclaimed by
President Roosevelt, which now in
clude all but Southern European
waters.
The need for action now, however,
failed to impress several of Senator
Adams colleagues. Although they
agreed that the revision question
would be raised eventually If the
European war became protracted,
they said they saw no reason for
changes at the present time. Some
expressed fear that modification
might tend to involve the United
States in the conflict.
Backs Shippers Rights.
THE American shipper" Senator
Adams contended, should be per-
mitted to exercise his rights under
international law so long as it is
made clear that the risks he takes
are his own. If the war keeps
spreading, there will be no American
ships IN the transatlantic service.
An American should have the
right to invest his money anywhere
ne wants. If some airplane manu-
1acturer wants to sell on credit to
Germany or Great Britain or France,
then he should be able to do it,"
Chairman Pittman OF the Foreign
Relations Committee denied that
American shipping was suffering
from the war He said the allies were
estimated to have sufficient financial
reserves to go two years without
credit and that he did not believe
the conflict would last two years.
George Forecasts Pressure.
Another member of the For.
eign Relations Committee. Senator
George, Democrat, OF Georgia, said
ne expected pressure ultimately " for
Neutrality Act revision. But he add
ed he saw no reason at present to
relax the credit regulations because
a change might tend to involve the
country abroad.
1T is impossible to foresee what
may occur or what emergencies NAV
arise" he said.
Senators Schwellenbach. Demo-
crat. Of Washington and Mead.
Democrat. Of New York both said
no immediate changes were needed.
Senator Schwellenbach said he did
not think revision efforts would be
successful, and that they Shouldn't
be- Senator Mead asserted that.
II the war spread to the Mediter-
ranean and the East Indies, this
might necessitate some action.
Amendments Proposed.
In the Senate yesterday Senator
Danaher, Republican, of Connecti-
cut proposed amendments to leg.
1Slatlon confirming the Presidents
authority to freeze" the American
~AA'>ocAAASioo Va AdllSS ana NOR
wegians. The freezing" was ordered
at the start of the Scandinavian
invasion. but some aspects of its
legality have since been questioned.
Senator Danaher's amendments
are designed to curtail the broad
monetary powers granted to the
President during the 1888 banking
crisis. Democratic leaders labeled
them purely partisan" and pre-
dicted victory for an unamended
measure Monday.
Senator Danaher proposed that
existing presidential powers to re-
Guire the licensing of transactions
in foreign exchange, credits, gold
and silver be repealed as far as
American citizens are concerned.
He also proposed that all of thu
broad powers given the President
under the Emergency Banking Acd
OF 1888 be terminated on May Il
1941.