U.S.A. CONGRESS

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 March 1935, Page 10

U.S.A. CONGRESS

‘ WORK RELIEF PROPOSALS. ! [BY CABLE—PRESS ASSN. COPYRIGHT.] ivASHIN&TON, March 14: ’ Almost; Imperceptibly, dissension htv; arisen M'n‘.Congress.. which may mark an'eiid -td': President Roosevelt’s .clcso control oyer that body, and may spell a change of fate, for the New Doc.l. The principal disagreement senins to have culminated in a rtrugg’o between forces headed by Senator Huey Long and the Rooseveltian group, led by Senators Robinson i.- nd MiicKel’ar, over an amendment to the ‘4,880 million dollar Work Relief Bill . This Bill provides for the payment of the locally-prevai-ing wage scale to the relief workers. President Rtc.Lvelt opposes this, and is asking for a fifty dollars per month maximum wage. So close is the division that tho anti-Roosevelt group claims Jt is certain of. r. two-vote majority. Fcnatcr Long to-day suffered two email defeats. The Senate defeated an amendment offered by him to nr> vido one billion dollars, from the Relief Work Appropriation, for college education for ycuths. and then an amendment by him to provide one hundred million dollars for the same purpose. ’

Senator Long, meantime, has threatened “filibuster” —that is, under h!a Si notorial privilege, simply to talk the menvure to death, unless tho Works Bi-l pleases his faction. Radicals are strapping hard at the leash. President Roosevelt’s leadership may be at stake.' LATER.

As tho debate in the Senate proceeded on the radical proposals, the Roosevelt administration. gained considerable strength. . Il easily defeated several'of the amendments to the Weiks Bill to which President Roosevelt had objected. Finally a compromise was advanced to pay the prevailing wage. "■ This amendment is designed to prevent the Government wage rate from lowering the private wage scale. It is understood that it has the support of several insurgents, a,n.d that probably.it will be accepted within a few days. Senator Long has now indicated his filibuster is ended, and that 110 is prepared to allow a veto on the issue.

LOAN CONVERSION. WASHINGTON, March 11. Tho Treasury announced to-day that It has dal’od for the redemption on June 15 next of all the outstanding first Liberty Loan Douda, totalling 1333 million dollars. The holders will be requested to exchange them for other Governmental obligations beariiy; a lower interest rate. When this operation,, and the refunding of 1850 million dollars worth of Fourth Li-, berty Bonds are concluded, the Go-i vcinment will ’have outstanding only about ,1325 million dollars of Liberty | Loan issues that were floated to finance tho world war. All of the conversions now projected are calculated to save the Government about ninety million dollars annually in interest charges.

STRACHEY’S ARREST. CHICAGO. March 15. Sttachey, the English author, appeared before the Immigration Officials to-day to answer the charges

against him as to his activities, but a formal hearing was postponed till March 21. Meanwhile, he will continue his lecture tour. Strachey is scheduled to return to England on March 29, but he is also determined to fight the charges through the courts. He- said: “I may have to come back from England for my own deportation.” Although the Government has taken no action to curb propaganda activities, liberal organisations throughout ths- nation aie prepared to make an if-sue ct the case to counteract what they term a “Red Scare” being fomented by the "Hearst press and w.iious so-called patriotic organisations.” The- Civil Liberties’ Union and the International Labour Defence have already supplied Strachey with legal aid. Hundreds of protests agZmt his deportation have been forwarded to Washington, many of them addressed to President Roosevelt personally.