Evening star., 1945-09-04
|'Reconversion'
.CongressFaces
Must Bills
Its First Peucetime
Session Since Late Al
Sturts Tomorrow

Sturts omorrow
BY the Associated Press.
Congress starts it's first peace
time session in almost four years
tomorrow.
1t will be the "Reconversion Con-
gress" as distinguished from the
war Congresses that have been in
almost continuous session since late
in l941.
Facing the lawmakers returning
from vacations cut short by the
wars end will be five administrati ton
tagged must" proposals dealing
with:
/, Jobs for every one willing and
able to work. Congressional COM
mittees have been graphing with
this one-the so-called full employ
ment bill''-for some time. The
hope to work out a plan of CO.
operation between Government.
labor, industry and agriculture to
create work for the millions idle o:
facing idleness because of the shut
down of war industries. Just how
long it will take to chart a plan, o.
how effective the plan will be, IS
uncertain.
JnhleSS Paw ConfroyerSv
2. Unemployment compensation
Senate and House committees are
working on proposals to pay a.
much as S25 weekly for 26 weeks
to workers unable to find jobs. Th4
administration is behind the plan,
but Congress is cooling off on 1t.
The issue may touch off Presiden5
Truman's first big battle with Capt.
tol Hill
8. Surplus property disposal. Il
bill to substitute single admins.
traitor for the three-man board now
in charge of getting rid of war-borr
surpluses will be ready for House
action next week. There may be-
a fight over how much authority
the administrator should have.
a. Reorganization of executive
agencies. Mr.. Truman wants au-
thority to abolish or merge many
agencies. The House Expenditures
Committee starts hearings today or
the proposal. But committee senti-
ment favors limiting the Presi-
dents reorganization power and ex-
emptlng such agencies as the IN
terstate Commerce Commission, the
General Accounting Office and the
Federal Communications Commits
sion.
5. Termination of wartime con-
trols and laws. Many emergency
acts are nearing expiration and Con-
gress must decide which to retain,
Prospects are the Second War Pow
ers Act, from which rationing ana
priorities stem, will be kept on the
statute books. Also it appears that
the draft act will be permitted to
run its natural course to mex:
May Is.
Draft Law Fight Shaping.
There will be no legislative busi-
ness ready for either branch befors
next week. In fact Speaker Ray
burn said he doubted if the House
could count on a majority before
then.
A major fight is shaping up owe.
the draft law. Many members wanx
all lnductions stopped at once. Rep.
resentative Hoffman. Republican, OF
Michigan has announced he wiE
introduce bill to kill the draft as
soon as the House assemblies.
But the House Military Affairs
Committee, some of whose members
were shouting for an end to the
draft only few weeks ago, has Just
about agreed to do nothing about il
for the time being. Instead. the
committee planned to approve today
a bill to encourage voluntary enlist.
ments in the hope that the armei
forces by that method could obtain
enough men to permit a reduction in
draft calls.
Committee members are not in
clined to extend the draft in any
event beyond next May Is.
| Thus far there has been no sign
of bonus drive for servicemen, buy
congressional leaders are keeping
their fingers crossed.
Bonus Bills in Offing.
Several bonus bills are known to
be in the offing, and with the con-
gressional elections just a year away.
they could start hot congressional,
fight.
If Mr.. Truman has any other
pressing matters for Congress to
consider in addition to the five
point must" program, he is ex-
pected to disclose them in his mes
sage this week.
The President may, at that time.
outline specifically his stand on
taxes.
Already there have been loud de.
mands for cuts in both corporate
and individual levies. The demands
probably will grow when the House
Appropriations Committee finally
determines how much of the $780,
600 100000 in new funds it provide,
for the current year can be recov-
cred as a result of final victory.
The committee starts its studies to.
morrow.