Evening star., 1952-06-19
House Hopes 10 Vote
Today on Controls Bill;
Row Likely on Steel

The House hoped to vote late
today On bill to continue wage.
price and rent controls for an
other year. But it first had to
hurdle highly controversial
amendment proposals concerning
The Taft-Hartley Act and the
Wage Sterilization Board.
Representative Smith, Demo-
crat of Virginia, announced in the
general debate yesterday that he
would offer an amendment call
ing on President Truman to use
the Taft-Hartley Act in the steel
strike.
The controls extension bill
passed by the Senate last Thurs
say contains such a provision.
Ihe Senate measure also has an
amendment that would limit WSB
activities to wage and other eco
nomic issues, but with no author
lty to settle labor disputes.
Would Abolish Board,
One of the amendments due for
House discussion today would
abolish the board. The House
Labor Committee earlier this week
recommended abolition. Another
amendment would greatly curb the
boards functions and confine it's
members to public representatives.
The board now has a set-up of
representatives of the public, labor
and industry.
Still another amendment likely
to be offered would broaden the
boards authority so that it could
deal with both wage increases and
any price boosts resulting from
them. Leaders on both sides con-,
ceded that this proposal faces
rough going.
Smith Amendment Favored.
House sentiment seemed to
favor the Smith amendment. This
would call on the President to in
woke the Taft-Hartley Acts pro-
vision for an 80-day no-strike in
junction procedure to end or halt
The strike. President Truman re-
Gently told Congress that such ac-
ton now would be futile" and
unfair.
The main Republican attack on
the controls extension bill yester-
DAY indicated an all-out attempt
to abolish price and wage controls.
The House bill would continue
controls for one year beyond June
80, when they otherwise are sched-
uied to expire. The Senate bill
would continue controls only until
next February %.
Republicans and Democrats in
yesterdays four hours of general
debate accused each other of play
ing politics with national security
and economic stability.
Demands End to Controls.
Representative Brown of Ohio
opening the G. o. P. attack. de-
manded that controls be scrapped
He denounced the controls pro-
gram as a "socialistic monstros-
ity"
Representative Walcott of
Michigan, ranking Republican on
the House Banking Committee:
accused the administration of
having paid only lip service to
the fight against imitation"
Representative Allen, Republi-
can, of Illinois served notice he
would fight for an amendment to
abolish the Wage Sterilization
Board. He asserted that steel
workers would not support the
strike if allowed to vote by secret
ballot on the question.
Chairman Spence of the Bank
ing Committee, which last week
reported out the House bill by a
15-to-3 vote, charged that Mr..
Brown and others were making
political issue out of the con-
trols program in a time of ma
tional peril"
He said Mr.. Brown spoke for a
Republican faction that wants
to kick out all price, wage and
rent controls and priorities and
ALLEGATIONS provisions" without
offering any realistic alternative
to cope with economic problems
and defense needs.