Evening star., 1946-07-15
Present Efforts
For0PAE:ina|,
Bark|ey Hints
Majority Leader
Hopes Congress Will
Quit by July II
by the Assofioted pr.,

Senate Majority Leader Bark
ley indicated today Congress is
making its final effort to pass
OPA revival legislation-when he
told reporters he hopes for ad-
jOurnment by July 27.
Senator Barkley's statement was
made at the White House after leg
islative leaders held their customary
Monday morning conference with
President Truman. 1t promptly
was interpreted at the Capitol as
a sign that if Mr.. Truman does
not sign the bill next sent him
by Congress. no further effort will
be made to extend OPA's general
authority.
The President indicated he would
veto the Senate-ap approved bill as
it stands by commenting yesterday
that it couldn't be any worse"
Senator Barkley said the remarks
made before reporters at National
Airport yesterday did not constitute
everything the President said on
the subject.
Lifting of Bans Hoped.
Congressional leaders hope to
remove, in a Senate House confer
ence committee, many of the bans
voted by the Senate against the
placing of ceilings on major COM
modlties.
Senator Barklev told the report
ers that the general legislature
situation had been discussed with
the President AS a prospective
member Of the OPA conference
commltte, refused to discuss OPA
prospects specifically.
Barring a last-minute change of
plans, the first test will take place
on the House floor tomorrow
The lssue-with each side conf
dent OF Victory-is whether any con-
trolls at all shall be clamped back on
dozen or more items in legislation
to breathe new life into OPA until
next June 30.
the Senate, by top-heavv ma jor-
ltleS. ordered these things kept free
OF any future price ceilings:
Meat, poultry, eggs, milk. butter
cheeSe and all other livestock and
dairy products; cottonseed. sovbeans
and their products; grain and feed
stuffs; tobacco products and gasoline
and other petroleum products. so
long AS oil supplies do not drop be-
low domestic demand.
Truman AsSails Measure.
1t undoubtedly was this list of ey-
emptions that prompted Mr.. Tru-
man to say the OPA bill lis in ter
rible shape and couldn't be anv
worse He used those phrases in
reporting the status of price con-
trolls to Secretary of State Byrnes
and Senators Connally, Democrat, of
Texas and Vandenberg. Republican,
OF Michigan on their return yester-
day from the Paris foreign minis
ters' conference.
The measure as 1t emerged from
the Senate early Saturday was a
substitute for the OPA bill Mr.,
Truman vetoed on June 29 as an
impossible piece of legislation.
However, formidable group of
Republicans who claim some Dem
ocratlc support want to accept the
Senate bill as is" and send it along
TO Mr.. Truman without following
the usual procedure of referring 1t
nrSt 10 a Senate-House conference
The only OPA bill the House has
passed since the agency died July
was one to extend all price con-
trolls for 20 days. without change.
Three courses lie open for the
House when it votes tomorrow:
l. 1t may send the Senate bill di-
rectly to the White House.
2. 1t may simply send the bill to
conference without specific recon-
mendations to it's own conferees. or
3. 1t may send it to conference.
with instructions to fight against
some of the Senate proposals and
to accept others.
Conference Considered.
In the event the second course is
decided upon, some lawmakers said
they would try to arrange a meet
ing between Conference Committee
members and Mr.. Truman in an
effort to reach an advance under
standing on just what would be nee
.essary to assure a new price control
law