Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-04

In comparatively calm fasi
final session yesterday. But COM
ments by leaders. several new
or revised bills introduced BY
members. and some committee
announcements gave notice Of
explosive days ahead.
Legislative battles of thi:
presidential election year seen
certain to come even quicker
than had been expected. The
Presidents 7,500-word message
to be read by clerks in each
chamber tomorrow in the alb
sence Of Mr.. Eisenhower. re.
portedly will contain few major
SURPRISES 1t nevertheless will
touch of highly conflicting COM
ments as well as jockeying BY
Democrats and Republicans in
tent on passing their own meas
ureS.
Farm Program Due
A farm program expected to
be sent to the Capitol early next
week by the administration. and
a school construction aid bill
likely to be submitted January
IL may open the oratorical ano
controversial fioodgates.
The budget for the fiscal year
beginning next July /, with its
question Of cutting or not cutting
taxes, probably will be presented
January Is. This will be fol-
lowed by a special message jan
uary II on the administration
recommendations for a 25 or 80
per cent increase in Public Health
Service research money and ad-
ditional OUTLAWS to assist medical
school construction.
The Senate Agriculture Com
mittee was called into session
today by its chairman. Senator
Ellender. Democrat of Louisiana
The meeting, Senator Ellendel
said. will be mainly to plan fol
consideration" of farm legisla-
ton. He added that he did not
know what the administration
message will propose.
Fight Due on Schools
In the House the first big fight
seemed certain to develop over
the kind and extent of Federal
aid to help States and communi-
ties build additional public school
buildings. Speaker Rayburn told
reporters yesterday that a bill
reported out by the House Edu-
cation and Labor Committee last
summer would be the first order
of major business in the House
He said he hoped it could be
brought to the floor in 10 days
or two weeks.
That bill. materially different
and bigger than the administra-
TONS scheduled proposals for
Federal loans and grants. is in
the House Rules Committee. If
it manages to get early clearance
by that committee. headed by
Representative Smith, Democrat
of Virginia, 1t faces an avowed
attempt by Representative Pow
ell. Democrat of New York, to
amend it by banning Federal
funds to States still maintaining
racial segregation in schools.
Mr.. Powell declared today that
we've got the votes" to add such
an amendment. While some
Democrats and Republicans dis
puted the prediction, Represent
alive Halleck of Indiana, assist
ant Republican House leader,
said he thought the amendment
might carry. He remarked, how
ever. that "if that happens the
bill probably would go through
the House, but I have doubts
that it would pass the Senate. "
President Eisenhower has de-
scribed such an amendment as
"extraneous." having no place in
q bill designed solely to aid
school construction.
Committees Meet
The recess today gave three
important House groups an op-
portunity to pursue matters re-
lated to taxes and the armed
services.
A Ways AMID Means Subcom-
mittee headed by Representative
Forand, Democrat Of Rhode Is
land. met in closed session on
its study of excise tax policies.
1t is not concerned directly
with possible cuts in excise tax
rates. 1t is particularly inter-
ested in Treasury Department
suggestions on how to simplify
clarity and equalize some oil
those levies. These suggestions
were submitted today in accord.
ance with a subcommittee re.
quest at hearings last fall.
The Armed Services Commit
tee, headed by Representative
Vinson, Democrat of Georgia,
announced it will take up a bill
next Tuesday aimed at assuring
free competition" by COMPETE
tive bidding on military buying
Mr.. Vinson introduced the bill
yesterday as a result of what he
called Shocking" disclosures in
a subcommittee report indicat-
ing that the vast majority of
contracts were on a negotiated
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