Evening star., 1961-09-21
House Action
Is Sought on
Minor Bills
BY ROBERT X. WALSH
Star staff Writer

@N~-e
The House hoped to untangle
itself today from minor bills
that caused it to bog down in
argument over encouragement
of the arts and establishment
Of a Hawaiian botanical
garden
With nothing Of pressing
Importance to do except await
a few major measures from
Senate-House conference COM
mitteeS, the House neverthe-
less was stymied yesterday in
trying to act on several bills.
Demands for roll calls post
poned action until today on a
proposed 00,000-a-year Fed
eral Advisory Council on the
Arts and a $1,000 study for
setting up a tropical botanical
| garden in Hawaii.
Peace Corps Vote Today
A demand for a roll call also
put off until this afternoon
the expected final approval of
the Peace Corps bill. A move
to send to conference the SEN
ate and House versions of
legislation to create a United
States arms control and dis
armament agency likewise was
stalled by an objection. The
Rules Committee, however,
later cleared the way for a
House vote on that motion
today.
In an often frustrating and
occasionally frivolous session
yesterday the House did man.
age to send to President Ken
nedy one major compromise
bill accepted earlier this week
by the Senate. This would au-
thorizes about $50 million ad-
ditional in Federal grants for
local communities to improve
and expand health services and
facilities, with special atten-
ton to health care for the
aged.
Arts Bill Opposed
The bill for a 2l-member ad-
visory group on the arts was
brought up under a rules sus-
pension yesterday and needed
a two-thirds majority margin
on the scheduled roll call today.
1t encountered considerable op-
position yesterday from Rules
Committee Chairman Smith,
Democrat Of Virginia, Republi-
can Representatives Gross Of
Iowa and Hoffman of Michi-
gan, and others.
Its principal sponsors, DEM
ocratic Representatives
Thompson of New Jersey and
Elliott Of Alabama, explained
that unpaid council of private
citizens would function in the
Health, Education and Welfare
Department after it was ap-
pointed by the President and
confirmed by the Senate. They
said the council would recon-
mend ways to maintain this
country's cultural resources
and encourage private initia-
tive in the arts.
Mr.. Smith said the bill was
so vague he wondered whether
the term art" would include
poker playing. Mr.. Gross OBJ
jected that a 100000 annual
outlay was unwarranted for q
council which he contended
would merely duplicate or
hamper other groups.
Answers Criticism
The bill of Representative
Inouye, Democrat of Hawaii,
for a $1,000 study to assist in
setting up the botanical garden
also aroused the wrath of Mr..
Gross. The Iowan declared it
Incredible that our new State
Of Hawaii cannot find $1,000
for that purpose" Mr.. Inouye
replied that the garden and its
proposed research programs
would be maintained by Hawaii
and that the 5000 would 60
mainly for expenses Of Federal
planning experts from Wash
ington.
Other business transacted by
the House yesterday included
official acceptance of a marble
bust Of former Speaker Martin.
The bust was donated by
friends Of the veteran Massa-
chuSettS Republican who was
Speaker for four years and also
was House Republican leader
for many years. It will be
placed In the rotunda of the
Old House Office Building.