The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1943-11-11
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CONGRESS- HAS PLENTY
- xEEp IT BUSY
BIZ RAULMALLON

,coNcREss HAS PLENTY
70 KEEP IT BUSY
WASHINGTON - AS this is
,,r;tten congressional leaders are
s,.rnine to quit until January,
aI1owing a six or eight-week mid
war vacation for themselves.
They have been saying mot
verv loudly, of course) there is
little important legislation to be
handled before the big appropria-
.;on bills come up in January, and
hat the trouble with the country
now is. there are too many laws.
No more important work could
:. done than to have the men,
h.r. Of each congressional COM
mittes assigned TO meet daily from
,ov until January solely in search
AZ waste in expenditures. An
.,,nest effort might save billions.
Example: The Breakers hotel at
Palm Beach, huge, world-famous
5 bostelry, was taken over by the
war department a year ago at an
annual rental of $350,OO0. The
rent, Of course, was not made pub
lie. nor has any mention been
made of the detailed use to which
the hotel has been put, excuse
for its acquisition was that it
would be used as a hospital. Now,
nearly year later, approximately
100000 has been spent on it, ]
understand, but only three floors
have been occupied and never has
the place accommodated more
than $50 patients.
The waste is obvious. colossal.
inexcusable. every cent of that
money could have been saved by
using vacant civil hospital space
Ia that area.
A week ago, the army site board
had meeting at the Breakers and
decided to make this lavish, rich
mans hotel into a permanent army
hospital, although a few miles
away at Boca Ration, the army al
srady is paying $4,000 a year
rent for a project which would
make an Inexpensive and ideal
substitute. The Boca Ration club
has about 400 rooms, spacious
grounds on the ocean, low rental,
and is quiet. The army, apparent
", always does things the hard
way.
This incident no doubt can be
duplicated a million times in a
million different phases of the war
effort. The details of such waste
naturally are not publicized by
the army, in fact are covered by
supposedly military censorship, al
though no military information is
involved. Only if congressional
committees start pursuing inept
officials may the truth be known.
With taxes nearing the endur-
abls limit and repeated bond
drives necessary to raise money
Tor the vast expenditures (amount-
ing to S277.400.000 a day in Sep
nmberl. the necessities of econ
omY assume an importance be-
yound any other pending sub
J jet.
The appropriations committees
nave hired additional clerical help
70 slit expenditures for waste, but
me drive for economy has lacked
me energy necessary to make it
mean something substantial. This
sa job not for one committee or
clerks, but for the whole con-
Eess represented on every COM
mttee, dealing with civilian as
wen as military expenditures.
Other duties will be shirked if
.ohsress Slips away. Appearance
u CLOS Philip Murray seems to
nave slowed down or stopped the
movement for a sales tax, at least
emporarily, but something should
0e oone about the present incom-
@enensible tax system. Con-
sess cannot just 60 away and
~ the tax complexities gather
uust on the committee desk.
Inc question of food subsidies
also must be Strengthened out. A
s.ompromise settlement between
songress and the administration
pfoDaoly will have to be made.
Inc lend-lease investigation
uast be ardently pursued.
congress does not lack bust
u,s s, but rather the will to work
w me business it should do.
INVASION OF BURMA
h our heavy bombings in Burma
ave - :. caused general expectation
:. -, INVASION. True, the Indians
suu Chinese bo1,o hoo,, %r,;n;oo