Evening star., 1949-04-14
House Set 10 Speed
H,576,S86,231 Bill
Before Easter Recess
By fhe Assoeiufed Prsas

DcIUIt LoyIEI NcIcSS
BY the Assoeieisd Press
The House was set today to run
its total money bills for this week
over the 100000, 900 mark
then quit until April 25.
A $7.576.s86.231 appropriation
bill financing 20 independent Fed
eral agencies for the year starting
July was the main block in the
path Of the lawmakers Easter
recess.
Vacation minded members ap-
peared ready to shove it to the
Senate with the same speed which
marked passage yesterday of q
record peacetime $4,000, ,000, ,00C
defense bill and a $595 800 .00O
emergency measure for veterans
education and unemployment
benefits. -s.-
Those bills went to the Senate
which acted last night on another
highly controversial appropria-
tion measure: a deficiency money
bill which included $2,500.000 to
let the Tennessee Valley Author
ity start building a steam plant
for generating electricity,
Bill Asks 538,433,473.
The bilr to round out funds for
a number Of agencies In the fiscal
year ending June 80 called for
total expenditures Of $538A53,473,
1t was passed by voice vote and
sent to a conference committee
to iron out difficulties with the
House measure.
The independent Offices bill be-
fore the House appeared headed
for no such battling as that which
the iva steam plant encountered.
But token amendment attempts
were expected. aimed at ta1 re-
storing some of the money cut by
the Appropriations Committee
from the Veterans Administra-
ton and (b) denying any money
to the selective Service ONCE on
the ground the draft law is not
needed.
The independent Offices meas
ure carries $5.145,431, $40 for the
VA and $1,090.120,397 for the
Atomic Energy Commission. The
rs other agencies share the bal
ance.
S508,750.060 VA Cut.
The total is $734, ,6S0,5s9 less
than President Truman requested.
The VA would suffer a $508, ,750,-
060 cut and the Atomic Energy
Commission would be cut $76.-
879,603. The remainder of the
slash would be shared by the
other Offices.
The measure includes $237 ,000,-
600 authorizing construction of
veterans hospitals despite the
Presidents suggestion that the
amount be cancelled.
Not single major change was
made in the defense bill. which
whizzed through the House by q
271 to l vote. Representative
Macantonio. American Labor
Party. of New York was the only
member who opposed final pas
sage.
The bill carries $13,272,8I5, 800
in cash and $2.636. .301 900 in con-
tract authority, a total of $500. :
$500 more than the President
requested. ~ .t1@'
Largest Slice for Air Force. 90
The Air Force gets the largest
slice, $6,215.709.000, to build to-
ward a 70-group air force. The
Army's share is $4.481 1884 200 and
the Navy's $5.018.873,6 800. Retire
rnent pay and the National Sc
curity Resources Board share the
remaining $192, ,700, ,000.,
A move to add $500 900 900 for
naval aviation was defeated.
Passage of the bill was high
lighted by the statement of Chair
man Cannon of the Appropria-
tions Committee that the Atlantic
pact gave the United States bases
from which to "pulverize every
military center in Russia" If neces-
sary.
That job, he added, must be
done in the first three weeks of
any war. And, he said. 1t would
be land-based. long-range bomb
ers, not naval aircraft, that would
do it.
Bridges Plea Rejected.
The Senate approval of the
controversial iva steam plant
came as it passed a supplemental
appropriation measure already
passed by the House.
Advocates OF public power
among the Democrats and Re
publicans alike spurned plea by
Senator Bridges. Republican of
New Hampshire that the steam
plant funds should be denied the
IVA on the grounds that 1t was
"a first step toward socialization
Of the utility industry"
The measure calls for appro-
priation of $538.453.473 for a
number of agencies and now goes
to q joint House-Senate Confer
ence Committee to iron out minor
differences.
Bids Sought for Addition
r k.A T>>s~~t