Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-10
Atomic Bill Faces
Stiff Senate Battle
After House Passage
By Robert K. Welsh

By Robert K. Welsh
A compromise version Of
President Eisenhower's new
atomic energy law faces the
prospect Of a new Senate battle
today after an easy passage
through the House.
In apparent recognition of
trouble to come. Senate Major
ity Leader Knowland declared
that the Senate viii stay in ses-
. sion for as long as 1t takes to
approve the atomic compromise
developed by House-Senate con-
fereeS.
The two-week Senate debate
on the bill before it was passed
in its original Senate version
was the major factor in wreck
ing congressional leaders plans
to adjourn July 81.
The new version. which COM
promises the differing House
and Senate versions, is expected
to find some opposition In the
Senate.
Knowland Sees Passage.
Senator Knowland told re-
porters: 1.-The bill is going to be
passed. The Senate has voted
2-1 in favor of it and the con.
ference report isn't going to be
rejected. I don't know how much
talk there will be on it, but we
are going to stay here until it
Is passed" /.
The Senate could take I'D the
conference recommendations at
any time. But it showed no sign
Of doing SO before late this week.
When it does. proposals dealing
with patents and with the pub
lic-private power issue are likely
to prove the stumbling blocks.
The compromise worked out
by the conferees encountered no
difficulty and comparatively lit
tie discussion in the House yes
terday. It went through on a
voice vote with only a scattering
of mos" Overwhelming House
approval had been expected,
since the conference version was
close to the form in which the
bill was passed, there. $50 to IS,
on July 26.
Oppose Measure.
Democratic Representatives
Holifeld of California and Price
Of Illinois spoke against adop-
ton of the compromise measure. 1
Both are members of the Joint |
Committee on Atomic Energy.
They declared the bill con- |
tains dangerous defects and falls
short of atomic energy control |
needs as well as President Eisen-
hower's proposals for broadening
the domestic and international
development of atomic energy
uses. They proposed a billion
dollar cash program for peace
time development of atomic en-
ergy to demonstrate to the world
that the United States is serious
about putting the atom to work
for peace"
Representative Cole, Republi-
can. of New York, chairman Of
the Joint committee, defended
the, original House bill and the
conference report as q f'mo-
mentous' and essential revision
of the 1916 act.
This bill is the key to a door
that is about to be opened to
prove that there is nothing sin
lister or evil in atomic energy"
Mr.. Cole told the House. There
Is nothing inherently bad in
atomic energy. It depends on the
hearts and minds of people who
control and use atomic energy.
The goal is to make it available
to mankind and for peace"
Fight Seen i'm Senate.
The major struggle in Senate
consideration of the House-ap-
proved conference measure is
expected to center on an effort
to restore an original Senate
provision for 10 years of COM
pulsory notwithstanding by pri-
vate companies permitted to en-
ter the atomic power field. The
conferees struck out that provi-
sion but kept a House clause al
lowing exclusive patents on pri-
vately financed military
developmentS.l
Several Senators have said
they would support a move to
return the bill to conference with
instructions to insist on the
Senate Plan for compulsory
patent-sharing.