Evening star., 1942-06-29
Report 10 House
Cuts 0PAFunds
.20Mi||ion More
Defense Supply Bill
Submitted, Giving
Agency IS Million
By the Associated Press.

The House Appropriations
Committee today reported out a
$1,81O,487,615 defense supply bill,
which cut an additional S20,000,-
600 off funds for Leon Hender-
sons Office of Price Administra-
ton. The new cut brings the
total for that agency down to
S75,000,000. A subcommittee had
reduced the figure to sos 100000
last Wednesday.
Mr.. Henderson originally had
asked s2oO,OOo,OOO for his agency.
The Budget Bureau cut that figure
to S161 100000 and the subcommit-
tee last week more than halved Mr..
Henderson's request. The full COM
mittee, in executive session, reduced
the figure further on motion Of
representative Jed johnson, Demo-
crat, Of Oklahoma.
Today's measure, it was estimated,
would boost to approximately s228,-
600 100000 the amount projected for
national defense since June, 1910.
The new bill carries funds for al
most score of war agencies for
the fiscal year starting Wednesday.
Most of them have been operating
in the past on emergency ALLEGATIONS.
While more than one-half the
total, sl,10O,O0O,000, is for the War
Shipping Administration, the s75,-
0o0,000 item for OPA was expected
to be the only part of the bill over
which a controversy of any conse-
quence would develop.
Restriction on OPA Funds.
To make certain the s75O0O.000
would be all that Mr. Henderson's
agency would have to spend during
the new year, the committee wrote
into the bill restriction that the
OPA funds shall not be augmented
by allocations or transfers of funds
from any other appropriation
The OPA item was almost certain
to bring into the open the resent
ment that has been smouldering in
some congressional quarters since
Mr.. Henderson began appointing
State administrators without con-
sultlng the patronage views of
Capitol Hill. House economy bloc
leaders promptly announced they
would seek further cut.
OPAs cut was the largest the
committee made. For other agencies
1t followed almost to the letter the
budget recommendations. The ex-
ceptlons included sl,0OO,O0O cut for
the Office of Censorship, elimination
OF S250,000 item for codifcation of
military and naval laws. a s3O22,OOO
slash for the Division of Central Ad-
ministrative Services, a cut of $780,
7l9 for the War Manpower Commits
sion, dlsapproval of s205, 900 for SAL
aries and expenses of the Bureau of
Home Economics. a reduction of
SITS 900 for the Bureau of Reclama-
ton, and elimination of $4,000. 900
for the Agricultural Marketing Ad-
mlnistration for emergency supplies
Tor territories and possessions.
Amounts Approved.
Amounts approved by the COM
mittee included:
Presidents emergency fund, $780,
100000; Board of Economic Warfare.
S13.818,0O0; Office of Censorship.
s26, 100000; Division of Central Ad-
ministrative Services, $4,000 900.
Office of Civilian Defense. s7,447.O75;
Co-ordinator of Inter American
Affairs, S2S,638,0O0; Defense Health
and Welfare Service, s2,440 900:
Office of Defense Transportation.
s7,216,515; National War Labor
Board, l,167 600; Office of Scientific
Research and Development, s73,OO0,-
600; War Manpower Commission,
s3,1l4,000; War Production Board,
S68,546,300; War Relocation Au-
thority, s70,O00,O0O.
Civil Service Commission defense
activities, s4,147,476; Federal Com
munications Commission defense
work. s2.149,876: Public Roads Ad-
ministration. s5.OOO.OOO; Office for
Agricultural War Relations. s475 900:
civilian pilot training, S36,677 ,450:
Office of Petroleum Co-ordinator,
1885 900; Office of Solid Fuels Co.
ordination, S920,000; Federal Bureau
of Investigation, s9,200,00O; Smaller
War Plants Corp, capital stock,
s15o,0OO,OOo.
Except for four minor items. the
committees report said. "All of the
amount - has a direct relation
to the war effort"
The committee explained its ST.
100000 Office of Censorship cut by
saying it had no criticism of that
agency or its plans for a total per-
sonnel of 1880 but believed the
amount approved would be ade-
quate. Should more be needed, it
added, consideration can be given"
to a supplemental appropriation.
Emphasis on Part-time Workers.
The sharp cut in the OPA fund.
the committee said, contemplated
the placing "of greater emphasis"
on voluntary and part-time workers.
The $75,000,00O provided, the COM
mittee added. would permit employ
ment of a force of approximately
10000 paid workers, or about $4,000
less than Mr.. Henderson said he
needed. The 10000, the committee
commented, would exceed "by sub
stantial numbers" the paid working
force of the War Production Board
and the Office of Censorship.
The committee wrote into the
OPA section a ban against "the pur-
chase of evidence of violations of
the law" This, committee members
said, was intended to prohibit the
employment of paid "snoopers."
1t also included a prohibition
against making public any informa-
ton obtained by the Off1ce OF Emer-
gency Management In inspections,
examinations or reports concerning
business.
The committee voiced gratifica-
ton at the reorganization Of tho
Once OF Civilian Defense. which