Evening star., 1942-09-20
Congress Prepares
To Rush Legislation
To Check Initiation
Hope Seen for Passage
BY Oct. | Deod'ine
Set by President
By ]. A. O'LEARY.

by j. A. OLEAk1.
The stage was set last night
for passage by both the House
and Senate this week of legisla-
tion comforting broad powers on
the President to stabilize wages
and farm prices to prevent in
f1ation.
While Republican backing for the
bill became apparent in the Senate
yesterday farm bloc members con-
sidered renewing their fight for
new farm parity formula despite
President Roosevelt's disapproval.
The House and Senate bills differ
in detail, which means the final
terms probably will be written by
conference committee the following
week There is still good chance,
however Of getting bill to the
White House by October /, the dead
line set by the President.
G. O r. Sees Bill Improved.
A Senate Republican caucus con-
fined It's action to an expression
that the bill as reported from the
Banking Committee was sub
stantial improvement over the
measure as originally introduced.
While this leaves members free to
record their individual views on
amendments that may be offered
and on the bill itself, it is expected
most Of them will vote for final
passage.
Minority Leader McNary told
newspapelmen he was inclined to
support II, Ieserving the right to vote
for some amendments. Twenty
three Of the % Republican Senators
attended.
Farm spokesmen were considering
further efforts to amend the bill on
the floor to include in the defini-
ton of parity price some definite
allowance for farm labor costs. Sem
Rtor Bankhead, Democrat, of Ala
hama advised them not to 60 be-
yond asking that the cost of hired
labor" be included, as distinguished
from the labor of the farmer and
his family.
Senator Bankhead contended that
the farmer was the only producer
whose prices were set without ref
erence to his labor costs. He pro-
posed as per cent upward re-
vision of the parity base to cover
those costs.
Ready to Open Debate.
While the Senate begins debate
on its measure tomorrow, House
leaders will apply to the Rules Com
nlittee for a special rule to take up
their bill Tuesday. The House
probably will reach a vote first, with
Senate debate likely to continue
until Thursday or Friday.
Before the Senate begins to de-
bate the issue tomorrow an agricul-
ture subcommittee will meet to
study farm-price features of the
bill, as drafted by the Banking
Committee, and probably to deter
mine what amendments should be-
offered on the floor. S~-.--
The main objective of the legisla-
ton is to get away from the ITO
per cent Of parity and other special
safeguards the present Price Control
Act throws around farm prices,
which the administration contends
prevent effective control of the gen.
eral cost of living.
The House and Senate Commit
tees both have written into the
pending bills new detailed standards
to serve as guides in stabilizing both
wages and farm prices but with con-
siderable leeway left to the admin
istration to correct gross inequi-
ties"
Main Difference Explained.
In place Of ITO per cent of parity
the aim in Congress is to make the
general standard either parity, or
the highest price between January
and September Is of this year.
The main difference over wage
standards is that the House COM
mittee retained while the Senate
committee struck out. the War La
Dor Boards rule in the Little Steel
ease of allowing Is per cent wage
increase over January l, l941, to
correspond to an increase in living
costs between that date and May
t942.
Some Senators indicated they
Fould insist on more specific di-
sective to the President >ncernlne
wage levels. They talked of at
tempting to restore the rejected
sLittle Steel" formula. The bill nov
directs the President to issue eXecu'
1--WE orders by November | stabiliz
ing wages and farm prices at Sep
tember Is levels as far as prac
eicable.
i Senator Danaher Republican, o
Connecticut was preparing las
eight to offer as a substitute sim
tle repeal of the present specia
farm price safeguards, SO the Offlc
0f Price Administrator could dea
with all commodity prices on tn
Same basis. BY making no referenc
10 wage control, the substitute woul
seave that problem as it is, in tn
hands of the War Labor Board
Danaher Explains His Plan.
"The advantage thus gained,
laid Senator Danaher. is to pre-
serve the price administration pro
Gram as operative in behalf of tn
CONSUMERS of the Nation, rathe
shan creating limitations in fave
of commodities which the peopI
fnust have. Moreover, in this simpI
way you would achieve all of I'll
fbiectives the President said /
sought"