Evening star., 1953-04-29
State-Justice Funds
Bill Nearing Floor
With HeavySIashes
By Robert K. WoIsh

litical and new policy features.
took stronger shape today as the
House awaited a State-Justice
appropriation bill to follow in
the fiscal footsteps of two others
sent to the Senate since last
Thursday.
The measure providing funds
for the State and Justice De-
partments during the year be-
ginning July l is expected from
the Appropriations Committee by
Friday.
It also is expected to show
substantial cuts from former
President Truman's recommen-
.dations for $3.50 million for the
State Department and 1892 mil
lion for the Justice Department.
The House, due to debate the
bill early next week. gave fur
ther evidence yesterday that
this third supply bill will go
through unchanged unless Re-
publican leaders consent to any
additions.
Interior Bill Raised.
They did that yesterday in
passing an Interior Department
appropriation of $406,130,34 by
a vote of 212 to 167. That was
$1.267, los more than the COM
mittee originally wanted. Most
of the extra amount was for
continued work at a synthetic
fuels plant in Colorado.
A G. o. P. spokesman con-
ceded that the committee
thought it went a bit too far in
slaShing outlays for such ex-
periments. But neither the COM
n1ittee nor the Republican
House majority would allow any,
thing else. They beat down
Democratic amendment pro-
poSals to restore another 81
million to continue plants in
Missouri and Alabama.
Earlier in the day Democratic
Leader Rayburn of Texas led
drive to allot $3.7 million for
Southwestern Power Administra-
ton purchase of electric power
and rentals of transmission facil-
tiles. The proposal was defeated,
l73 to 1913.
Fight Based on Principles.
1t was the principle, as much
as the money, that Democrats as
we'll as Republicans emphasized.
Mr.. Rayburn charged that the
committees action in striking
out the Truman request for ST
million was "the entering wedge
to kill all public power in the
United States. y"
Republicans denied this. They
declared appropriation bills for
the coming fiscal year are being
patterened onta policy that the
Government must not spend
money for programs which pri-
vate industry can handle.
This pronouncement echoed
policy statements heard only last
week in debate on a $451 million
appropriations bill for 90 indie
pendent agencies. The bitterest
battle in that instance centered
on ban on further public hous-
ing projects after July l.
Voice Program 1T Issue.
Government policy as we'll as
finances, moreover, are almost
certain to dominate the debate
next week on major sections of
the State-Justice bill. The Voice
Of America program alone is like
ly to make the debate far storm
ier than were those on the indie
pendent Offices and the Interior
Department bills.
From spending standpoint,
the $406 million Interior Depart
ment bill was still $201 million
under the Truman budget re-
quest. 1t was about $78 million
less than Secretary Mckay re-
Gently suggested.
The $451 million independent
Office bill represented a cut of
$721 million from the $1.1 bill
lion originally recommended.
House Republic ans thus
claimed today that they and the
Appropriations Committee, with
help from most of the agencies
and departments concerned, have
effected savings of more than
1922 million in the first two bills.
They predicted even greater
proportionate reductions in bills
yet to be received. But they did
not predict what the Senate
would do.