Evening star., 1951-09-14
Record S59.5 Billion
Is Voted by Senate
For Nation S Defense
BY Cecil Holland

Lie OCAAdOC 1ido NOGCu I4lS dI ILIlcu
services a ecord-breaking ap-
preparation for building up the
country'S defenses.
The measure carrying funds
estimated at $50 billion won ap-
proval late yesterday by a vote
of 70 to 0.
The bill. which includes funds
for what President Truman has
described as fantastic new wea-
ponS, now goes back to the
House, The House had approved
a bill of SO billion less than that
voted by the Senate.
Senator O'Mahoney, Democrat,
OF Wyoming, who called the huge
spending bill on the floor, said he
expects Senate House confer
ence committee to begin work
early next week resolving differ
enceS in separate versions passed
by the two chambers.
S5 Billion Added to Bill.
Largest difference is in an extra
SIS billion the Senate added to the
bill for expanding American air.
power, and carrying on secret
weapons work. The funds were
included in the bill by the Senate
Appropriations Committee al
though they had not been re-
quested by President Truman.
Before final approval, the Sen
ate voted for a 242 per cent cut in
the SCI ,033, ,856,000 contained in
the bill as it came from the COM
mittee.
Two attempts to send the huge
money bill back to the committee |
with instructions to cut it first by
Sc billion and then by SIS billion
were beaten by votes of 49 to 20
and 81 to 30.
Senator Smith, Republican, of /
New Jersey then submitted an
amendment to cut the funds by 5
per cent, or about So billion.
Senator O'Mahoney suggested
holding the cut to 2l2 per cent
and Senator Smith with other
sponsors of the amendment-Sen-.
ators Ferguson of Michigan, Case
of South Dakota, Flanders of Ver-
mont and Taft of Ohio, all Re-
publicans. and Senator George,
Democrat, of Georgia - agreed
The NON JYoaY,f ,ryoc than oloYofaI
by voice vote.
Earlier amendments by Sena-
tors Douglas. Democrat. of IL
linois. and Dirksen, Republican.
of Illinois had chopped into .
the gigantic appropriations with
amendments designed to save up /
wards of $500 million.
One of Senator Douglas amend |
mentS approved by vote of 40 |
to 81 is designed to abolish flight /
pay for Air Force administrative
officers.
The amendment would limit |
flight pay, which Senator Douglas
said ranged from S100 to 5000 a |
month, to men in actual combat |
or those engaged in operational
flights of 20 or more hours a
month.
Senator Douglas, a Marine in
the last war, said many Air Force
officers assigned to desk jobs OBJ
tanned what he described as gravy
plane" flight pay by riding around |
as air passenger for as few as four
hours month. He said the flight |
pay arrangement was a source
Of corruption
Challenged by O'Mahoney.
Senator oMahoney sharply
challenged the Illinois Senator's
remarks and said those receiving
flight pay had to have 100 hours
of flying year, 20 of that on in
strumentS and Is in night flying.
He said that if Senator Douglas
has any evidence that flight pay
is source of corruption he should
present it to the Senate Armed
Services Committee for a change
in the law authorizing such pay I
mentS.
Economy advocates pointed out
that the Defense Department has /
$36 billion in unexpended bal Il
ances and cannot spend all the ID
new funds in the two-year limit 4
on authority to use the funds
contained in the bill. u
The 212 per cent reduction the {
Senate approved represents a cut E
of SIS billion. AS the provision $
is worded. the Secretary of De-
tense could make the cut on Sc Z
lected items IN the bill or in all /
of them. :
Policy Survey Urged. II
Before final passage, Senator
Taft, Republican. of Ohio took the
floor to suggest that a commission t
be set up to survey United States
military policy.
Senator Taft, who voted for all |