The Wilmington morning star., 1947-04-01
Tax Reduction

WASHINGTON - The chances are still
against a tax reduction at this session OF
Congress-. One reason is that the Republicans
will not cut the presidents budget as they
planned. Another is that the president prob
ably will veto any tax-cut bill that is passed.
The possibility of a veto was heightened
recently by the testimony of Treasury Secre-
tary John Snyder before the House ways and
means committee. Snyder opposed any tax
reduction now. 1t seems unlikely that mem
bers in Congress strongly in favor OF a cut
could marshal the number of votes necessary
to pass any bill over the presidents veto.
Republicans are finding it more and more
difficult to cut Mr.. Truman's budget. 1t is
clear now that as money bills are passed
thew will not reduce the presidents figures
enough to make room for the proposed three
and-a-half billion dollar tax cut plus a SUBJ
stantial sum for debt retirement.
In fact, there is a possibility that they will
trim the PRESIDENTS budget so little that the
return. of So, SOY, 900, 900 to the public through
tax reduction would result in a deficit In the
next fiscal year instead of a surplus.
This strong possibility represents a potent
barrier to tax reduction, since sentiment at
the White House and in Congress is against
a cut if it would result in continued deficits.
Agriculture Department officials say that
the average American will be able to buy
more meat this year than at any time since
befor. World War /.
They report that the meat situation has
swung from one extreme to another-from
the acute shortage of last autumn to huge
supplies in the coming months.
Every man, woman and child in the United
States has about $50 pounds of meat on the
butchers shelf during 1947. That's about five
pounds more per person than last year, and
the most since 1911.
This prediction is based on the tremendous
boost in beef production, plus a drop in eX-
ports and military needs. The increase in
beef will more than counteract a decline in
supplies of pork, lamb and mutton.
The United States Marines are fighting for
their lives.
The Leathernecks, whose combat record
throughout their history has been a proud
one, are in danger of being ''sWalloWed' in
the Armed Forces Unification Plan now be-
fore Congress.
Certain Army spokesman have let it be
known that they regard the Marine Corps as
a land-fighting outfit which belongs in the
Army, not the Navy. There is a strong move
ment in the War department to annex the
Marines as an adjunct of the Army ground
forces when the merger has been accom-
plished.
However, the Marines are determined to
stay in the Navy, under whose omman
they have fought their country's battles
from the time the corps was created.
They are determined to preserve their iden-
tity and are using every weapon they can
find in this strange inter-service "psychologi-
cal warfare" =
One method they are using is distribution,
free of charge, to the hundreds of members
of the Washington press corps of copies of
Maj, Frank o. Hough's story of the Marines
in the Pacific-"The Island War
The book retails at five dollars. But the
Marine Corps public information office feels
that the money is well spent if it helps their
argument that Marines should remain Marines
and not become doughboys.