The Wilmington morning star., 1946-01-04

m1lllOnS OF workers whose incomes
do not provide a decent standard
of living. We cannot have healthy
national economy so long as any
large section of our working people
receives wages which are below
decent standards. Although hear
ings have been held on this ques-
ton in the Congress, no action has
been taken.
The bills are now resting in the
Education and Labor committee
of the Senate and in the Labor
committee of the House.
And so it goes with measure after
measure now in the Congress. Time
is running out. There are other
problems: comprehensive scientific
research, universal training,
health and medical care program,
an adequate salary scale for Fed
eral employees, the Presidential
succession, river valley develop
ment and others.
I intend no blanket criticism of
the Congress. Devoted and far-see-
ing men in both the Senate and
the House have labored to make
effective program adequate to
our needs. But if they are to sue
coed, they must be reinforced by
you-the people they represent.
And let me make it very clear
that when I speak of bills not get
ting any action, it is not the Con-
gress as a whole which is respon-
sible. All these measures = and
many others-have been referred
to various COMMITTEES of the Con-
gress. That is the regular proce-
dure. There they await action. Cen
orally speaking, unless the COM
mittees act to report the bills, the
members Of the Congress as a
whole never get a chance to vote
for or. against them.
It is the committees which hold
up action on bills. Indeed, it is
usually not even the whole COM
mittee. On many of these subjects,
I personally know that there are
individual members of the respec-
tive committees who are trying to
induce their colleagues to report
bills. But often a bare majority OF
committees handful of men
can prevent a vote by the whole
Congress on these measures of ma
jority policy.
What I am asking is that these
various committees at least give
the representatives of the people q
chance to vote Eyes" or mo" on
these vital issues-and that they
give them that chance soon.
When speak of my recommen-
dations and proposals I also want
to make it very clear that I have
no pride of authorship in them at
all. There are, however, such
things as ''must'' detectives. It is
my responsibility to outline those
detectives to the Congress and to
the people. And to attain those OBJ
jectives, there are certain steps
which must be taken, to get us
safely over this reconversion peri
cd and to establish and maintain
stable economy for the future.
If the measures which I have
to accomplish these
ends do not meet the approval of
the Congress, it is my ferYent wish
and am sure that it is the wish
of my fellow-citizens-that the
Congress formulate measures of its
own to carry out the desired OBJ
jectives. That is definitely the re-
sponsibility of the Congress. What
the American people want is &C.
ton.
Sin any discussion Of action at
this time, housing must be con-
sidered. In this field, che Congress
is cooperating, and there is much
to be done.
OF the three major components
which make up our standard of
living-food, clothing and housing
housing presents our most diff
cult problem.
AS for food, there is every pros
pect that 1916 will be peak
year of production. As for cloth
ing. it is expected that production
will reach a satisfa Glory level some |
time this year. But in housing the
is different.
We urgently need about five mil
lion additional homes-now. This
does not include the replacement
Of millions of existing sub-standard
dwellings in the cities and on the |
farms. The greatest number of |
homes constructed in any one year |
before the war was less than a |
million. It is clear therefore that |
this is an emergency problem
which calls for an emergency meth
I'd of solution.
We must utilize the same imagi-
nation, the same determination
that back in 1941 enabled us to
raise, our sights to overcome the
Nazi and Japanese military might.
With that ina gination and determi-
nation we can mobilize our re-
sources here at home to produce |
the housing we require.
Because of the critical need I |
have appointed an emergency hous-
ing expediter. He will be empow-
cred to use every agency of the
government and every resource of
the government to break the bottle
necks and to produce the materials
for housing. The government is de-
,ermined to give private enterprise
every encouragement and assist
ance to see that the houses are pro-
auckland produced fast. Where