Evening star., 1951-04-26
|Symington Wins
Committee Vote
On New RFC Job
Senators Puzzled by
Reference to Coseriff
As Deputy Chief
BY Robert K. Walsh

|OymlngCOn as administrator of TIN
Reconstruction Finance Corp, was
unanimously approved today by
the Senate Banking Committee.
But. after a hearing at which
Mr.. Symington testified that Pres
ident Truman has given him
"an absolutely free hand" in
the agency, committee members
learned for the first time that
E. Walter Cosgriff was introduced
at New York meeting this week
as "the new deputy RFC admin
istrator."
The White House has not sent
a nomination for an RFC deputy
to the Senate. Some committee
members therefore voiced surprise
when shown the program of a
New York dinner meeting spon-
sored by the Small Manufacturers
Emergency Committee, a group
headed by Wendell Berge, to work
for continuance of RFC.
Maybank Voices Surprise.
Mr.. Cosgriff, one of the five
present directors of RFC, is a
Utah Republican. He was listed
on the program as the new deputy
for the agency but did not attend
the dinner. Committee Chairman
Maybank commented:
This is the first we have heard
anything like that"
Committee approval of the SYM
|ington nomination came imme-
diately after a two-hour hearing
at which Mr.. Symington said he
was Gin no way beholden" to Dom
old Dawson. Democratic National
Chairman William Boyle, jr., or
anyone else for the appointment.
He said this included President
Truman to the extent that the
President neither asked nor ex-
|pected him to be subservient to
the White House as head of the
|RFC.
Silent on Dawson Plans.
The name of Mr.. Dawson, an
aide to President Truman, came
Iup today at the Presidents s weekly
news conference. The President
refused to say whether Mr.. Daw-
son plans to accept a second in
lvitation that he testify before the
Banking subcommittee investi-
eating RFC. He said he will an
Swer that question when it comes
to him. The subcommittee asked
Mr.. Dawson to appear May 10 and
requested that he state by April
80 whether he intends to testify.
Mr.. Symington was questioned
particularly about his attitude to-
ward the operation of RFC as an
aid to small business. and as to
whether there should be specific
law requiring detailed publication
of fees paid by loan applicants to
outside agents.
He replied that he would favor
publicity of that kind but he
warned that a too stringent re.
quirement might justly harm re-
putable lawyers. He declared that
one of the principal functions of
RFC should be to assist small
business but that it should not
make loans in such a way as to
interfere with normal private en-
terprise and competition.
Questioned on Policy.
Several members questioned
Mr.. Symington on whether he
would feel that he had to consult
the President or other administra-
ton officials on RFC matters if he
became administrator.
He replied that he would not
have to consult anyone else about
employment or reassignment of
RFC personnel. He said also that
he saw no reason why he should
be In any way subservient to tha
President merely because Mr.. Tru-
man appointed him to the lob
that will replace the present fiye-
member board of directors of the
agency.
In reply to a question by Sena-
tor Fulbright, Mr.. Symington
testified that Mr.. Dawson and Mr..
Boyle not only had nothing to do
with the appointment, but that he
has not discussed the matter or
RFC in general with them or with
any other Government official ex-
cept the President.
He talked recently, he said, to
w. Elmer Harber, present RFC
chairman, but the conversation
dealt only with agency organiza-
ton and not with any particular
loans or similar problems.