The people's voice., 1957-09-13

| or federal employees; extending
minimum wage coverage; tax re-
lief; redeveloping depressed areas,
including Indian reservations; the
question of whether to free nat
urai gas producers from federal
price regulation; statehood for
Alaska and Hawaii.
Some of these bills have cleared
one house; others have been reported
out of committee, hearings have
been completed or scheduled on
others.
After consideration and disposi-
tion of this legislation next year,
predict that the 85th Congress will
make an outstanding record that will
compare favorably with any peace
time Congress in our history. You
pay off at the finish-not on who is
ahead at the halfway point.
Montana-On Montana issues, we
got away fast. Except for the routine
organizing legislation, the first bill
passed was the one allowing Mon
tana to use land grant funds to re-
pair the State Capitol. From a stand
ing start on the first day of this
Congress, that bill became law in
time to be accepted by Montana's
Legislative Assembly.
Montanans next year will be watch
ing attempts by our congressional
delegation to pay the Grow Indians
fair price for the right-of-way for
Yellowtail Dam, get the money to
start construction, and get Libby Dam
legislation so we can start work on
it soon.
Action by the First Session of the
85th Congress included:
Conservation
Water Pollution-By a roll call
vote, conservationists in the House
defeated a powerful attack on the
year-old water pollution control pro-
gram. The vote was 231-185 against
the motion to eliminate the federal
grants. heart of the program, to
stimulate the building of sewage
treatment plants. The attack was
spearheaded by the U. S. Chamber
of Commerce, the National Associa-
tion of Manufacturers and trade as
sociations representing certain pol
luting industries.
Military Land Grab-Both houses
passed bills, which 1 co-sponsored, to
curb the armed services Unsuitable
appetite for public domain lands,
vast chunks of which the military has
taken over, then released as surplus
while reaching for more.
The bills require congressional ap-
proval of military withdrawal or res
ervation from the public domain in
excess of 5000 acres, except during
emergency, and makes state
fish and game laws apply to hunting
and fishing on military reservations.
A conference committee will meet
early next year to iron out the diff
ferences between the versions passed
by the two houses.
Recreation Resources-The Senate
passed bill providing for an overall
study of this nations outdoor recre-
dClOH IcSOuICSS anu llSSdo. IL 10 pSIlQ-
ing in the House Interior Committee.
A House committee heard bills to
earmark $50 of receipts from the
present So duck stamp fee for pur-
chase, administration, maintenance
and development of land for the ma
.ional waterfowl refuge system and
end Administration diversion of this
money to pay current bills of the
Fish and Wildlife Service.
Farm
Surplus Disposal-Congress ex-
ended for one year, to June 80,
1858, Public Law 480, the surplus
disposal program under which we
rade our farm commodities for for
eign currency, used, in turn, to boil
;ter the economy of our allies and
,uy strategic material.
Feed Wheat-We also passed the
ill allowing farmers to raise up to ;
80 acres, double the previous limit,
If wheat for feed without penalty.
ACP-The ACP program was made
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