Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1950-03-17
Now's The Time
For A Chat With
Your Congressman
BY Bradford v. Carter
For Labor Press Association

ABOUT the time you read this. your Con-
"A gresham probably will be on his way home
for weeks respite from his Washington
chores. This may be your last chance to have
q talk with him until he comes back to seek
reelection next November.
Most members of the House OF Representa-
tives are making like candidates right now,
and this Easter recess is time when Con-
gressmen will have especially good hearing
whenever constituents gather round
Hardly ever except In the war years has
the House had on its hands so many important
matters of direct interest to industrial workers
and especially to union members. Here's a
checklist OF few which you may want TO 60
over with your elected spokesman In Congress.
RENT CONTROL-Rep. Aadolph SABBATH I'd.
Ill) has bill TO extend the federal law for
year after It's present expiration date June so.
The fight to retain this protection for the IL
million families who are still living in areas
with federal control will be tough. The real
estate lobby Is trying to kill the federal law.
and many Congressman may do their bidding,
arguing to constituents that It's local mat
ter" Even before June 30, unless Congress
gives the Office OF the Housing Expediter
enough money TO finish out the year (they
need S36 million without strings attached
about folding up the agency extension OF the
law may be futile.
MIDDLE-I N ONE HOUSTNG-Blocked for
weeks in the House Rules Committee the mid
die income housing bill Is really in danger OF
being lost in the shuttle between now and an
early-summer adjournment Homebuilders'
lobbyists want only that part of the bill that
underwrites m tgages for privately-built
housing at federal expense. The unions and
veterans groups don't oppose that provision,
but they insist strongly on linking with II the
"self-help' parts-those that would encourage
families in the S2400 10 $4,000 income range to
form cooperatives to build their own homes,
with savings OF about one-quarter Of the usual
monthly costs under private profit building
methods. The Rules committee bottleneck
be broken. as demonstrated on other matters
like FEPC. statehood for Alaska and Hawaii,
and the National Science Foundation bill, all
forced TO the floor in the last few weeks. Tell
your Congressman you want TO see him vote
on this housing measure.
IATIONS-Between now and June
80, the House and Senate will have to decide
on the amount OF money that federal agencies
can spend in the next IL months It's too early
to know where the hatchet will be welded but
it's safe guess that the anti-Fair Deal boys
will be In there swinging. They specialize in
conspicuous but unimportant cuts in welfare
and service functions of government-health
programs, school lunches, the Labor Dept ac-
tivities and money for useful government PAM
phlen are favor1te targets. The big items
military spending, paying the debts incurred
In past wars-sre hard to pare down by the
time the President sends up his already cut
budget This year AN attempt Is being made
to put nearly all funds in one bill, which will
have 70 be accepted or rejected virtually in
tact by the House. Then 1t will 20 TO the Sem
ate. where more changes will be made. Presi-
dent Truman and his Council OF Economic Ad-
visers agree we should have balanced budget,
but warn that, until taxes are raised and cold
war" expenditures can be cut safely, it's poor
economy to cut the vital resource development
health, education and social security programs
TAXES-The House Ways g. Means commit