The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1951-03-29
This Week
in
Washington

~~~~~~~-~>
Highlights of the week in the
nations capital included senate
passage of the 18-year-old draft
act and universal military train
ing and a continuation of the
highly controversial senate probe
of the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation.
Only five votes were register
ed against the draft and UNIT
bill. They were Senators Welker
(Republican) Idaho, Dirksen
(Republican) Illinois, Jenner
(Republican) Indiana, Schoeppel
(Republican) Kansas, and Lang
er (Republican) North Dakota.
The measure provides for uni
versal draft of men at Is years
for "a months and for a univer-
sal military training program to
begin after the emergency. The
measure also sets a maximum
of 100000 men on the armed
forces. Present goals of the de-
fense department is for a serv-
ice force of 3,500,000 men. The
limitation amendment was
accepted on a 49 to Al roll call
vote.
Because the price of tin has
scared from rs cents pound to
$500 pound, the national
security resources board ordered
the general services admins
tration to cease buying tin for
stockpiling until prices reach a
reasonable level" A report of the
senate armed services committee
said: "The American taxpayer is
weary of being gouged for the
privilege of obtaining from some
of its allies the raw materials
with which he is expected to sup
ply the food and armament needs
of the non-Communist nations in
the event of another all-out
war If we cannot obtain tin
at reasonable prices, we must
seriously reconsider our policies
with respect to this metal. The
battle against initiation is also
part of the, fight against Com
munism."
Public hearings continued on
alleged mismanagement of the
Reconstruction Finance Corpor-
alton with new charges and much
conflicting testimony over in
quiry into the big lending
agency. Some members of con-
gress became involved in the
inquiry as the testimony was
taken behind closed doors. In
cluded were Senator James Muir
ray of Montana, who was alleged
to have interested himself in a
loan to a Miami hotel for which
his son was an attorney. Senator
Joseph Mccarthy of Wisconsin,
was brought into the picture in
the inquiry into the huge loan
to the now defunct LuStron
Corporation, which is alleged to
have paid Senator Mccarthy
$40, 1000 for a pamphlet on "How
to Own a Home" and used as a
sales promotion by the corpor-
alton.
Mccarthy also was charged by
witnesses with having borrow
ed" money from Carl Strand
lund, head of Lustron Corpor-
alton, to bet on horse races at
the Pimlico race track in Balti-
more. Strandlund testified, how
ever, the incident occurred at the
Laurel track instead of Pimlico,
and that he tore up one check
and merely cashed larger one
for Mccarthy. Rep. Frank w.
Boykin, Alabama, came into the
picture when Chairman Full
bright of Arkansas said the COM
mittee would investigate a publ
cized report that Boykin sought
to influence at $1,700,000 loan to
the Mobile Paper Company at
Mobile, Ala, with which Boy
kin's son is affiliated. In the
meantime, members of the RFC
board have denied any wrong
doing" OF that White House
secretaries actually influenced
any decision on loans. Senator
Murray said he treated the case
in which his son was implicat-
ed as he did any other case. Sem
ator Murray demanded a COM
plete summary of congressional
intercession with the RFC by
letter, telephone or interview
and that all be put in the record.
According to information, the
RFC has on file about 900 letters
from members of congress from
both parties seeking loans for
various firms throughout the
country.
In connection with the draft
bill, Chairman Cooley of North
Carolina of the house agricult-
ural committee said a policy
statement by General Hershey,
director of selective service, has
clarified a confused situation as
to drafting farmers. Mr.. Cooley
said General Hershey had made
it clear local draft boards have