Evening star., 1942-09-12
Efforts Pressed
For Agreement
On Initiation Bill
President Expresses
No Preference on
Form of Measure

Congressional leaders renewed
efforts today to agree on the
form of new anti-inf1ation legis-
lation so that similar bills can be
introduced in both Senate and
House Monday to expedite action
by President Roosevelt's october
l deadline.
After the problem was laid before
the Chief Executive late yesterday,
Senate Majority Leader Barklev
said Mr., Roosevelt expressed no
personal preference about terms of
the bill so long as it provides the
authority he needs to stabilize farm
prices.
The point on which agreement is
being sought, Mr.. Barkley explained,
Is whether Congress should be asked
to pass simple, general resolution
authorizing the President to do
anything necessary to stabilize the
cost of living, or whether farm
prices and wages should be men,
toned specifically.
The Senate leader said he hoped
the Senate and House conferees
could agree today on the terms Of a
measure that will go as far as pos
sible toward satisfying all and get
ting speedy action"
No Disagreement on Objective,
Some legislators object to pro-
posals for broad, general grant of
authority, he said, on the grounds
that 1t would permit the President
to lower farm prices even below
parity, or to raise or lower wages.
On the other hand, he explained.
proponents of this procedure con-
tend that If the legislation should
specify what the President might
do about farm prices and wages.
the way would be opened for efforts
to include specific mention of other
factors in the cost of living, COM
plicating the problem gof getting
quick action.
Senator Barkley said the failure
OF the Senate and House leaders to
agree so far concerned only what he
described as the problem of STRAIT
egy and legislative procedure,
with no disagreement on the OBJ
1ectlve of granting the Chief Execu-
tive all authority necessary to stabil-
ize the cost of living.
Details Up to President.
Because of the delay in reaching
agreement on terms of the bill to be
considered, Senator Barkley said the
Senate. Banking Committee. prob
ably would have to postpone until
Tuesday the opening of hearings
that had been scheduled for Mon
day, He added, however, that he
believed action still can be com-
pleted by October l.
The Senate leader said there had
been no suggestion so far that if
a specific rather than a general
bill is drawn, it should specify any,
thing but farm prices and wages.
In his message last week, Mr..
Roosevelt asked for authority to
stabilize farm prices at a lower
level than the 110 per cent of
parity provided in present law, and
said that he would act to stabilize
wages at the same time.
Under any form of bill that NAV
be considered, Senator Barkley
said, the detailed action involved
in stabilizing both farm prices and
wages would have to be left I'D to
the President. He said the stabili-
zatlon process would have to be a
continuing, day-to-day process and
could not be done all in one order.
Parity Limit Discussed.
He added, however, that there has
been some discussion of legislative
restriction, which would forbid the
fixing of farm prices at any level
below parity He said also that if
the legislation mentioned wages
specifically it might make it unlaw-
full for any employer to give or
employe to receive wages in contra
vention of regulations issued by the
President.
Senator Barkley acted as spokes-
man for the group of Senate and
House leaders who conferred with
Mr.. Roosevelt at the White House
for more than an hour late yester-
day. The group included Chairman
Wagner, Democrat of New York, and
Senator Brown, Democrat of Mich
igan, of the Senate Banking Com
mittee:; Speaker Rayburn and Chair
man Steagall, Democrat of Alabama,
and Representatives Spence, Demo-
crat OF Kentucky; Patman, Democrat
of Texas, and Gore. Democrat of
Tennessee, of the House Banking
Committee.