Evening star., 1946-12-30

Double Positions Listed.
Senator Taft is listed to head the
Labor Committee as we'll as the Re-
publican Steering Committee, while
Senator Vandenberg is expected to
act as President Pro Tempore OF
the Senate as well as chairman OF
foreign relations.
On the House side the leadership
battle will come to a head Thurs
day with Representative Halleck
of Indiana still the favorite to guide
the floor strategy of the new Re-
publican majority. There Is no
contest against Representative Mar
tin of Massachusetts, for Speaker,
When the curtain finally goes up
Friday on the first Republican,
controlled Congress in IA years, re-
vision of labor laws may be the first
major issue put forward.
1t will be followed soon after by
the double-barrelled problem OF
budget balancing and tax reduction
Case and Ball to Confer.
Representative Case, Republican
of South Dakota said he and Sena-
tor Ball, Republican, of Minnesota
would get together this week on a
bill to improve labor-management
relations. Mr.. Case sponsored a
labor reform bill which President
Truman vetoed in the last session
Mr.. Case did not indicate what
the terms of the new bill would be.
Senator Wagner, Democrat. OF
New York, author of the National
Labor Relations Act, urged the new
Republican leadership not to "tear
down the edifice built since 1888 to
improve the lot of the average man. u
1.-THE whole country would breathe
more easily If over the Republican
caucus room were inscribed these
words to greet the new Congress
Don't turn back the clock" said
Senator Wagner.
Majority Favors Change.
Most Republicans, however, are
expected to support changes in the
labor laws of the last decade tc
place more responsibility on union
leaders to prevent serious tie-ups.
Although Representative Knutson
Republican, of Minnesota was still
advocating a 20 per cent cut "across
the board" in personal income taxes
there were growing indications he
will have trouble getting his plar
through the Ways and Means Com
mittee, over which he will preside.
Representative Gearhart of Cali
fornia, one of his Republican col
leagues on Ways and Means, came
out today with an entirely different
tax program.
Mr.. Gearhart proposed manufac-
turers' excise tax as a means OF
taking some of the income tax load
off individuals without reducing the
Treasury receipts.
Urges Paying OFF Debt.
1--WE have got to begin paying. of
the public debt, and we can't do il
by cutting the Governments rev.
enue," said Mr.. Gearhart.
He agreed that too much emphasis
has been placed on income taxes ir
recent years. pointing out a switch
ing of the burden would help the
economic situation from now on. He
also emphasized that his propose!
should not be confused with a retail
sales tax, which he opposes. The
taxes he has in mind would be col
lected at the manufacturers level.
There are other Republicans who
while favoring 20 per cent cut in
the volume of personal income taxes
do not think it should be fiat 2(
per cent on all incomes. They favor
graduated reductions.
On the Democratic side, there Is
talk that Southerners may put uI
a man to oppose Representative NC
Cormack of Massachusetts, for NIL
nority leader, when the minority
conference is held Thursday.
Senate Democrats, also meeting
Thursday, are concerned chiefly
over whether the new party Policy
Committee, created in the Reor-
ganization Act, should exercise real
power or whether direction OF MI