Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-05-07
10 Major Bills Wait
Passage by June 80;
0PA Extension Issue
RY ]. A. OIEARY.

ny y. n. OLEAnI.
Ten bills that must be passed by
the end of June still confront Con-
gress, including extension of the
Price Control Act, survey today
revealed.
The remainder of the list con-
sists of eight regular appropriation
bills for numerous Government
agencies for the year commencing
July !, and the new Reciprocal
Trade Agreement measure, to re-
place the act expiring June IL.
Since the end of the war in Europe
may affect the scope of some of
these bills, indications are that We
day will lead to a speeding up of
the legislative wheels in the next six
or eight weeks.
OPA Bill Unreported.
The bill to keep OPA alive after
June 80 has not been reported from
the Banking Committees of either
house, although the work of the
agency has been the subject of
lively debate in other committees
investigating the food situation
particularly the meat shortage-in
recent weeks.
1t was reported in reliable quar-
tiers today that administration lead
ers have delayed bringing out the
OPA extension bill because they are
making informal efforts to work out
amendments to relieve the meat
situation, and thereby avoid a fight
over the bill when it is presented.
II these behind the scenes nego-
tiations succeed more time may be
saved than If the OPA bill had been
reported earlier, and the meat prob
lem left for floor debate.
1t will take the House Ways and
Means Committee another week to
finish hearings on the controversial
foreign-trade agreement program,
after which it must decide whether
to face a long and bitter partisan
fight over the administration re-
quest for broader authority to make
tariff reductions, or accept a
straight extension of the present
Reciprocal Trade Act, which could
be passed without much debate.
Tariff Cuts at Issue.
The expiring law, originally en-
acted in 1884, permits tariff cuts
down to so per cent of the 1880
rates. The new administration bill
would authorize SO per cent to be
cut from the rates as of January,
1915, which would make possible an
overall reduction of rs per cent on
articles already cut in half under
the old law.
There were signs in congressional
circles today that the administra-
ton will compromise on a straight
extension of the act without the
additional authority.
Among the annual appropriation
bills still in the drafting stage are
the Army supply bill and the Civilian
War Agencies bill. The size OF both
Of these bills is likely to be affected
by the end of the European phase
Of the war.
some Delegations Away.
Several delegations from both
branches of Congress have been
away recently on official missions
connected with the war-some In
Europe and others in San Fran
cisco. Most of them are expected to
be back before disposition of these
must" bills.
Aside from these bills that involve
an urgent time limit, Congress has
other equally important issues on
its doorstep that are expected to
keep it going throughout the sum-
mer.
Foremost among these is the Bret
ton Woods international monetary
plan to stabilize world currencies
and promote war recovery. The
House Banking Committee soon will
finish hearings on that issue, but
there is no deadline involved in its
passage.
There also has been talk of pos
sible emergency revision of tax laws
affecting business to stimulate re-
conversion of industry to peacetime
employment, but this move has not
taken definite shape yet.