Evening star., 1947-11-19
597Mi||ion Stopgap Aid for Italy,
France and Austria Unanimously y
Approved by Senate Committee
1870 Of Supplies
May Be Bought
Outside U.S..
By J. A. O'Leory

Inc SO5 ,UUU,UOu StOp5oP oAN
bill for France, Italy and Austria
was approved unanimously by
the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee today. The vote was
13 to 0, with all members re-
corded.
Chairman Vandenberg said all
amendments have been agreed to
by the State Department. Most I'M
portant changes are:
% A clause was written IN TO
make it clear that this country is
not promising more than 1t can
spare of any scarce commodity.
Cd Government officials may buy
up to Is per cent of the supplies for
European relief outside OF the
United States, to prevent aggraVa-
ton of shortages at home. The eX-
isting foreign relief act of last May
allowed only per cent of the money
to be spent elsewhere.
3.A separate petroleum amendment
REQUIRES Government officials to buy
gasoline and oil for shipment to
these countries from outside of the
United States ''to the maximum eX-
tent practicable" This directive Is
not even limited by the general 70
per cent figure on offshore pur-
chases of other commodities.
Debate to Start Monday.
Senator Vandenberg said the COM
mittee will recommend that Senate
debate start Monday and continue
until the bill is passed. If it passes
by November 26 the Senate will take
a Thanksgiving weekend recess.
Otherwise, the Senate will skip only
Thanksgiving Day and meet again
Friday of next week.
Although the House Foreign Al
fairs Committee is still celebrating
in closed session, that group also Will
make every effort to report Dill
next week. With the limitations
that govern debate in the House,
that body also may act by Thanks
giving if the Senate, with unlimited
debate, is able to do so.
The Senate committee took as a
foundation the State Department
bill, In order to avoid any delay in
setting up new agency to handle
this emergency winter relief, the
Senate committee did not attempt
to set up the type OF organization
that has been suggested by many
lawmakers to handle the long-Tange
Marshall plan later on. Instead
the bill places this new assistance
under the personnel already han
ding the European Relief Act OF
last May.
No Specific Guarantees.
The most important addition TO
the State Department text was the
following proviso attached to the
s597 100000 figure:
This act, however, shall not
imply any obligation to give assist
ance to any of the countries men
toned nor shall it imply or guaran-
tee the availability of any speclhc
commodities.
Committee members explained
this language is intended TO meet
the criticism that one or more OF
the recipient countries might be led
to believe that the State Depart
ment breakdown of estimated guam
titles of specific commodities is
binding contract.
Earlier today, congressional lead
ers decided ito start joint House.
Senate hearings at pm. Friday on
President Iruman's inflation-control
program, with indications that these
two points have the best chance Tor
early action:
Cd Restoration eof credit rules,
and CO extension of export con-
trolls.
In announcing the hearings,
Chairman Taft of the Joint Com
mittee on the Economic Report ex-
pressed belief that the controversial
issue of consumer price and wage
ceilings would have to go over until
the regular January session II any
thing is to be done before Christ
mas on the rest of the program.
The first witness Friday afternoon