The Wilmington morning star., 1947-01-15
COP TO RETAIN
EXCISE LEVIES
Continued From Page One

dent Truman in a message to Con-
gress last week.
Knutson said action to keep the
Var rates indefinitely is necessary
to deal with distress threatened
in some businesses. In some line
customers are delaying purchases
pending the tax reductions.
The bill would remove the incen-
tive to stop buying in anticipation
Of tax cuts, Knutson told repor.
tiers.
With the continuation Of the ST.
500, 900, 900 in annual revenue from
the war rates, he said, a 20 percent
slash in individual income taxes
this year, as proposed in his house
bill No. /, will be easy"
Unanimous Opinion
Knutson made his statement fol-
lowing a meeting of the Is Repub-
lican members of the Ways and
Means group, and he said the feel.
ing was unanimous that 1.-The coun-
try should be told what to expect
in excise levies.
The Republican decision rever-
sed a previous stand. 1t was an
nounced after the first meeting of
COP members OF the tax-framing
House Ways and Means commit
tee.
A committee spokesman told re.
porters that continuation of the
wartime rates would be necessary
to clear the way for the Republi.
can proposal to slash individual in
come taxes this year by 20 percent.
for an overall So, $50, 900, 900 ease.
ment Of the income tax burden.
"We have got to u the cloth to
fit the pattern" the spokesman
said. I'VE may not be able to dc
both, that is cut individual income
taxes and let the excise rates
DROP"
Hurting Business
Moreover, he emphasized that un-
certainty over the tax is hurting
many businesses, as consumers
delay purchases while waiting foI
the automatic rollback of the war
time levies On July /.
Speaker Martin (R-Mass) told
reporters "It is necessary to act
one way or the other quickly" to
remove this uncertainty.
The spokesman for Ways and
Means Republicans said the re.
moval of the rollback date prob
ably would mean there would be
no further consideration of excise
cuts this year.
Earlier Secretary of Labor
Schwellenbach denounced all con-
gressional proposals to ditch mis-
U. S. Cancellation service and re-
place it with any kind Of board.
At the same time a new Repub-
lican Senator, Joseph r. Mccarthy
of Wisconsin. came out with a
proposal to lift the hot "closed
shop" issue out Of the realm Of
collective bargaining and decide
it in each case by a binding secret
ballot of workers.
Mccarthy said he will introduce
a bill to take certain abuses" out
Of the closed shop, after which the
closed shop would be entirely a
matter for the employees to decide:
II two-thirds voted in Favor of
it, the employer would be forced
to accept it.
L less than tWo-thirds voted yes.
the closed shop would be out-lawed
in that plant.
Schwellenbach Hot
Schwellenbach, holding one of
his infrequent news conferences,
would not comment on closed shop
bills nor on most Of the other ON.
gresslonal proposals. But concern
ing the effort to create a new me-
diation board or commission-con-
tanned in several Of the major bills
in the House and Senate-the sec
rotary was emphatic.
I'm my opinion, he said. "set-
ting up any kind OF board would do
more to hamper any efforts toward
industrial peace than any single
piece OF legislation that could be
adopted"
He said in reply to a question
that he included labor courts" in
that.
mo board" he said, "can func.
ton effectively, or be of any assis-
lance in settling labor disputes. II
isn't a job for a board. either in.
side or outside the Department of
Labor. It's a job for an administra.
tor"