Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-16
39% Cut Made
In Emergency
Funds Measure
Construction Hit
In One Of Biggest
Slushes in Decades
By The Associated Press

Singing out civil defense, mill
tary and hospital construction
and shipbuilding programs as
special targets, the House APP
preparations Committee today
slaShed 80 per cent from Presi-
dent Eisenhower's requests for
$1,959, 958,267 in emergency APP
preparations.
If sustained by the House, the
committees action will represent
the biggest percentage cut of
1854, and one of the largest in
decades, in any presidential
money requests. The House will
consider the G.. o. P.-dominated
committees recommended lions
early next week.
For the 10 Federal programs
involved in an omnibus supple
mental appropriation bill-pro-
viding funds not allotted in reg
ular money measures-the COM
mittee recommended $1,194,188,-
O79, a reduction of $765, ITO, 1888
from amounts requested by the
President.
Told to Use Balances.
Actually, however, the over
all cut was not as drastic as it
appeared on the surface.
This was particularly true in
the case of military construction,
for which the President re-
quested $1.1 billion in new money
and the committee recommended
only $571.6 million. The COM
mittee said the Defense Depart
ment should use unobligated bal
ances of previously allotted
funds to help foot the construc-
ton bill, instead of seeking new
cash and retaining the balances.
The Defense Department
sought approval for a public
works program of $1,427, 622 900,
OF which the committee approved
$1,235,958,0O0 with the under
standing that more than half
OF the total be financed from I'M
obligated balances.
'Austerity' Called For.
This action, the committee
said, will be sufficient to meet
the needs of the military con-
struction program" for the
present fiscal year if construc-
ton is continued on "austerity
standards" and costs are held
to past levels. The committee
complained of wide variance in
the costs of comparable build
ings for the three branches of
the Armed Forces.
The Air Force bore the brunt
of the cuts in new appropria-
tions. It requested $945, 997 900
and was given $484, $50 900, plus
$3.50 million of unobligated bal
ances. The Navy wanted $40
million and got $73,517,000, with
authority to dip into some of it's
$500 million balances for the
1855 fiscal year program. The
Army requested, and received,
only $503.0O0 in new cash. It's
public works program will be
financed out of current balances.
For ship construction under
direction of the Maritime Adj
ministration, the President re-
quested 1925 million. The COM
mittee approved only Sill mil
lion, all of it earmarked for ex-
perimental modernization of four
reserve fleet Liberty ships.
Civil Defense Supplies Cut.
The Civil Defense Administra-
ton, for which the President
sought $85, 100000 plus $1.3 mil
lion in carryover funds, was al
lotted $43, 525, 900 plus the carry
over. Biggest reduction was in
funds requested for stocking
emergency supplies and equip
ment. For this project, the COM
mittee approved only $25 million
of the $50 million requested.
The committee rejected the
entire $35 million requested for
the Presidents new program to
help States build chronic disease
hospitals and similar facilities.
1t approved 81 million to help
States make surveys of their
needs in this field and said st
was in sympathy with the pro-
gram but felt that more harm
than good may be done "by pro-
ceeding before any but the most
sketchy plans are available"