Evening star., 1949-01-23
BudgetDue
For Early Action
.|nSubconmittee
Bates Of Kentucky to
Head House Unit;
Work to Be Pushed
By Don S. Warren

An early start on the Districts
unbalanced $103, 100000 budget
was charted yesterday by Chair
man Cannon of the House APP
propriations Committee as he
named a five-man subcommittee
to take charge of the bill.
Heading the subcommittee is Rep
resentative Joe B. Bates, Democrat,
of Kentucky, a veteran of 10 years
in the House. He was member Of
the District funds subcommittee in
the 80th Congress and earlier was
an active member of the Qegisla-
tive District Committee.
Two freshmen Democrats and two
veteran Republican members were
named to serve with Mr.. Bates. The
freshmen members are Representa-
tives Yates, Democrat, of Illinois
and Furcolo, Democrat, of Mass.
Both are lawyers and Navy veterans
of World War H.
The two Republicans who served
previously on the subcommittee are
Representatives Church of Illinois
and Stockman of Oregon, both Of
whom have listened to many thou
sands of words of testimony about
District finances and budget needs.
Organization Meeting Set.
An organization meeting of the
District Subcommittee is to be held
at 10 am. Wednesday. Hearings
will not be started then, but Chair
man Cannon said they would not be
delayed long since the general COM
mittee plan was to get appropriation
bills rolling early in the session.
Various subcommittee, he said,
would be holding hearings simulta-
neously.
This is part of Chairman Cam
mons plan to seek a practical an
swer to the ''unWorkable' system
of legislating an overall budget CELL
ing.
Under the Congressional Reorgan-
ization Act, the budget ceiling is
supposed to be adopted by Feb
ruary Is. Two years ago, the House
and Senate failed to agree on a CELL
ing and that session ended without
a legislative top on spending. Last
year a ceiling was adopted by the
House and Senate, but as appropria-
ton bills were enacted late in the
session it was by-passed generally.
Ceiling Called Unworkable.
Experience shows that the legis.
Ilative ceiling is unworkable and
wholly ineffective" said Chairman
Cannon. I'VE want to find a more
practical method. Early hearings
and actions on appropriation bills
may prove an effective answer"
He stressed that under his sys-
tenn, members of appropriation sub
committees would go to work now
on budgets. instead of having the
more than 100 members of the House
and Senate committees on finance
and appropriations devoting time to
study of legislative ceiling on
spending.
In the reorganization of the
House Appropriations Committee,
Chairman Cannon has limited
member to service on only one sub
committee. This meant that the
subcommittee were cut down from
seven to five members.
Stefan Taken OFF Group.
One result of this was to take
off the District subcommittee Repre-
sentative Stefan. Republican, of Ne
braska, a former chairman Of the
group, who has been willing to
stay on as member although his
seniority gave him the chairman
ship, in the past Congress, of the
subcommittee on State, Justice,
Commerce and Judiciary. In the
new lineup, he will be ranking
minority member of this national
subcommittee.
Dropped from the District SUBJ
committee also was Representative
Horan. Republican, of Washington,
chairman of the group in the past
Congress, who keeps a position on
the Agriculture subcommittee.
Chairman Cannon said he had
given very careful thought to the
membership of the subcommittee
on the District to make "a strong
group" assured. He praised the
knowledge and ability of Mr. Bates
and noted that the two freshmen
Democrats, Mr. Yates and Mr.. Fur
colo, both had a knowledge of mu-
nicipal affairs in their home States.
Bates Opposes Sales Tax.
Chairman Bates said ne was in
clined to oppose the sales tax. He
said his State had had sales levy,
but had gotten rid of it.
The primary job of his subcom-
mittee. he said, was to measure the
need for appropriations, and that
(See APPROPRIATIONS, Pg. A-6J
nsI.