The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-20
HARB0RS
MEASURE KILLED
Continued from Page One)

subsidy program. The House sus-
tanned him in that.
To finance the Nations biggest
war and the stepped-up activities
of it's home front agencies, Con-
gress appropriated approximately
$182, 000,0 100000 and boosted the
National debt limit to $3.50, 900, 000,-
during it stwo years of work.
While. not record-the 18th ap-
propriated approximately $24,O0O,-
900, 000-the funds supplied by the
18th Congress included the biggest
single supply bill of all time, $685.
900, 000,0 War Department meas
ure passed in 1913.
To that sum. it added $15,000,-
100000 this year to rocket the
Army's appropriations for the two
years to $74,O0, 900, 900. The Navy
received approximately $57, 100000
900 during the biennial period,
while other agencies described as
directly connected with the war
were given an estimated $14,000,-
600, 1000.
Despite the huge appropriations
furnished by Congress dip
ped downward during the two
years, dropping from Sis, 000,-
100000 last year to approximately
S67, 900, 900, 900 this year. It was the
first sharp curtailment since the
war started, and further drop was
sighted for 1915.
The first session Of the 18th Con-
gress devoted its time almost ex-
clusively to war matters. With little
it extended the Lend
Lease program, provided allot-
ments and allowances for service
mems dependents, and put pre-war
fathers at the bottom of the draft
pool.
But on domestic matters it was
another story. A major battle de-
veloped over the Ruml pay-as-you-
go tax plan, which House Rerubli-
cans backed almost to man. 1t
ended in a compromise which the
COP called a rs per cent victory.
Other fights broke out over subsi-
dies, crude oil prices and railway
workers wages.
The second session was interrupt
ed by recesses for the Presiden-
tial nominating conventions in June
and the National elections in No
hars =, Hryhiob thu
party Strengthened its slim control
of the House.
The second session enacted a tax
program intended to
ease computation procedures for
some 100000 taxpayers. 1t ex-
tended the wartime price wage and
rent controls and miscellaneous
powers given the Pres
ident in the Second War Powers
Act.
1t wrote legislation expenditing
absentee-voted by servicemen, pro-
viding mustering-out pay and given
veterans job preference, Govern
loans, unemployment
compensation, disqualification and
Government-financed education.
1t blueprinted the procedure for
settling terminated war contracts.
outlined the mtehod of disposing of
huge stocks of surplus war mater
ial, and created the war mobiliza-
ton and reconversion administra-
ton to chart the transition from
wartime to peacetime economy.
internationally, it again extend
ed the Lend-Lease program and
provided for United States parti-
cipation in the United Nations Re-
lief and Rehabilitation program to
give aid to liberated nations.
The final major concerted act of
the expiring Congress was thump-
ing approval of a bill blocking an
increase in Social Security payroll
taxes on January 1. These taxes
for old age pensions would have
risen to two percent had not Con-
gress pegged them at one per cent
over the Presidents objections. AL
though he approved the legislation
reluctantly" the President cited
the need for a thorough study of