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Show News Review of Current ; Events the World Over president and Congress in Jam Over Reduction in Expenditures Expend-itures House Passes Bill Giving Philippines Indepen- dence Senate Faces Struggle Over Revenue Bill. ! 'TpHE battle for reorganization of government bureaus urn agencies and for a general reduction In expenditures ex-penditures developed Into a partisan struggle in congress with President Hoover's Hoo-ver's proposals under attack. The President led off with a special message to congress, In which he said that while a further reduction reduc-tion of $200,000,000 In expenditures, in addition ad-dition to the billion dollars of new taxes, would be required to President balance the budget, l" Hoover an even re:lter snv" lng could be accomplished accom-plished by consolidation of bureaus and boards, by reform of administrative administra-tive methods, by abolition of "less necessary functions," and by temporary iuspension of other activities. Inasmuch as so far reaching an conomy program would require the repeal and amendment of a multitude multi-tude of existing laws, he proposed that the preparation of a comprehensive comprehen-sive plan be assigned to a commission commis-sion composed of senators, congressmen congress-men and representatives of the Executive. Execu-tive. The President's proposals met with Immediate opposition on the part of Democrats In both houses, and a demand de-mand that the Executive submit specific spe-cific recommendations for the reduction reduc-tion of expenditures. Speaker Garner declared that it was too late to create new commissions and assured the President that any specific recommendations recom-mendations he has to cut expenses will get' quick action in the house. In reply to the opposition voiced figalnst his message, the President in a later statement said: "What I asked for In my message was organized, nonpartisan co-operation by all forces to reduce government govern-ment expenses in the national emergency emer-gency which insistently demands relief re-lief for the taxpayer." "What I have asked for is not a commission, but that the senate and house delegate representatives to sit 'flown with representatives from the administration and endeavor to draft a national economy bill." Continuing, he said that without such action he saw no way by which there can be a maximum reduction in expenditures. The comeback to this was that If the President failed to present definite proposals for a reduction In expenses the Democratic leaders would present a plan of their own. Senator Jones, Washington, Repub- . llcan, acting on the President's proposals, pro-posals, introduced a Joint resolution In the senate to create a commission of three senators, three representatives nnd three officials of the administration to draft an economy program and report re-port within thirty days. It would not only suggest where appropriations should be slashed, but also recommend consolidation and elimination of government gov-ernment bureaus and agencies. The resolution met instant opposition in the senate. The major senate contest over the billion dollar tax bill, now the subject of hearings before the senate finance committee, will probably develop with the move already started by Independent Inde-pendent members of both parties to boost the surtax rates on the higher Incomes to a figure above the 40 per cent maximum voted by the house. That a determined effort will be made to restore the manufacturers' sales tax to the revenue bill Is a certainty. That it will be accomplished is a foregone conclusion. The importance of government salary sal-ary cuts in the economy scheme has been emphasized in support given the Idea by Senator Robinson, the Democratic Demo-cratic leader, and Senator Harrison, Democrat, Mississippi. The latter forecast fore-cast with regret, that a general slash was likely to materialize. The house special economy committee commit-tee has approved bills to dispense with the army and navy transport service, with an assorted annual reduction In expenditures; to postpone indefinitely part of the government's big construe- j tion program In the Capital at a saving of $750,000, and to establish the International Inter-national water commission. This is all the consolidating and dispensing yet recommended by the committee. Both the house and senate appropriation appropri-ation committees continue to trim each bill down to the bone. INDEPENDENCE for the Philippines, an agitated issue for three decades, is made possible by a bill which passed the house by a vote of 306 to 47, giving freedom to the Islands. Not a Democratic Demo-cratic vote was cast against the bill, nnd only two Democrats were paired In the negative. And on the Republican Repub-lican side the 47 who voted "no" were more than doubly matched by 119 who voted "yes." The Democratic total for the bill was 1SG and the single Farmer-Labor Farmer-Labor vote was in the affirmative. The bill agreed to provides for complete com-plete freedom for the Philippines after aft-er the islands have adopted a suitable constitution and undergone a probationary proba-tionary and semi-autonomous period of eight years, during which tariff ex- ports to the United. States shall be limited to present levels and immigration immigra-tion restricted to 50 persons annually. On the Fourth of July following the conclusion of the eight-year period, American sovereignty is to be withdrawn with-drawn without any native plebiscite as provided in other measures. The United States will reserve only the right to retain certain naval and military mil-itary bases. TpIIE senate finance committee pre-sided pre-sided over by Chairman Smoot, has opened its hearings on the billion dollar revenue bill passed by the I L , 1 I "! house. A veritable avalanche of applications applica-tions for hearings have been received by the committee. Secretary of the Treasury Mills was the first witness at the hearing. He offered suggestions to eliminate elim-inate defects and discriminations dis-criminations in the house measure. Reed Smoot Senator Reed of Pennsylvania, Republican Repub-lican member of the committee, began a drive to line up support for a general manufacturers' sales tax in the new revenue bill. After Informal discussions with Republicans Re-publicans and Democrats, Reed announced an-nounced prospects for inserting a sales levy, similar to that rejected by the house, were by no means as unfavorable unfavor-able as forecast. - lie will offer the sales tax amendment amend-ment to the finance committee, of which he is a member, if he finds the proposal has a chance to pass. Excise Ex-cise taxes substituted by the house for the sales levy were described as "cockeyed "cock-eyed sales taxes." The sales tax, he held, is equitable and fair. XTEW YORK STATE'S primary was ' a walkaway for the Roosevelt and the Hoover tickets in the lone Democratic and the Republican contests. con-tests. In the Democratic contest, in the Forty-first congressional district in Buffalo, supporters of Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt swamped a ticket favor able to former Gov. Alfred E. Smith by better than 2 to 1. The Republican contests were in New York city and in Brooklyn. Delegates Dele-gates favorable to the renomination of President Hoover won by approximately approxi-mately 18 to 1 In one and by about 4 to 1 in the other district over supporters sup-porters of Joseph I. France of Maryland. Mary-land. There was no opposition to the regular tickets anywhere else in the state. The Republican delegates to the national convention will support the President. Most of the upstate Democratic delegates are Roosevelt supporters, but the powerful Tammany Tam-many bloc has not announced its stand. SENATOR ALBEN W. BARKLEY of Kentucky will deliver the keynote address for the Democratic party when the national convention meets in Chicago on June 27. His selection was made by a subcommittee subcom-mittee of 23 national committeemen in an all-day session in Chicago. Chi-cago. Jouett Shouse of Kansas City, who was Senator Barkley's chief rival for the honor, Is to be recommended rec-ommended for permanent perma-nent chairman of the I fcsi RKfS ''if-. .:18ro: " tyy& t L.H .'0 convention. Mr. a. W. Barkley Shouse, who is executive execu-tive chairman of the national committee, commit-tee, Issued the following statement at the close of the meeting: "By unanimous action of the committee com-mittee it was decided to recommend to the national committee, to be in turn recommended to the convention, the selection of Senator Barkley for temporary chairman and the selection of Mr. Shouse as permanent chairman of the convention. "Our conference was one of the most harmonious ever held." INFURIATED by months of distress from unemployment and dissatisfaction dissatis-faction with the government policy, a mob of 10,000 stormed the house of assembly at St. John's, Newfoundland, and forced the resignation of the government. gov-ernment. Windows were smashed and public documents strewn In the streets. Police were powerless In the demonstration. dem-onstration. World war veterans then took charge of the situation and succeeded suc-ceeded in partially restoring order. Citizens obeyed only the World war officers and the veterans under them on the streets of the capital, while most of the police were bottled up in the assembly building by the irate mob which milled outside. The war veterans closely guarded the residence of Premier Sir Richard Squires, who narrowly escaped serious seri-ous injury In the riot when he was aided to his home by three clergymen, who quieted a small portion of the mob which recognized the premier as he was hurried away "TpHERE will be no "discussion or negotiation" on the question of European debts by Secretary of State Stimson during his visit to Geneva, was the emphatic i Y. r ; declaration of President Presi-dent Hoover. Stimson's visit is solely In the interest of securing concrete and definite results from the general disarmament dis-armament conference, even though those results may not be revolutionary in character, char-acter, the President Secretary saiJ- Stimson "Tlle worlJ Deetls- both economically and spiritually, the relief that can come from some degree of successful Issue by the disarmament conference," the President said. "Some two months ago I presented ideas which I believed would contribute con-tribute to a solution of some of the problems, and which were incorporated incorpo-rated in the general program. ""'LEAR signals were visible during ' March that Important results were following from the co-ordinated plans of public agencies nnd private finance to bring about basic improvement in the condition of business, the American Ameri-can Bankers' Association Journal says in Its monthly review. ft notes that, (ri though Immediate stimulations in current commercial nnd industrial activity were lacking and favorable trends in standard trade indexes in-dexes were not apparent, growth in financial confidence and decrease In public fear were "too definite to be based on anything but solid facts and carried greater weight than formal statistics." Concrete expression of a return of financial confidence was given for a period during March In the bond market, mar-ket, which evidenced a relaxation In the pressure of financial distress and fear, and a turn in the direction of safety and confidence, the Journal says. "The most important aspect of business busi-ness betterment has been the widespread wide-spread return of the banks to more normal operating conditions," It says, attributing this to the Reconstruction Finance corporation and other co-operative arrangements for assisting both closed and operating banks-that are "clearly having the desired effects." A SSISTANT ATTORNEY GEN-eral GEN-eral Seth Richardson, in a report to the senate, described police administration admin-istration in Honolulu as "impotent, undisciplined, un-disciplined, neglectful and unintelligent." unintelli-gent." The report was in answer to a senate sen-ate resolution calling for information on law enforcement in Hawaii. It followed fol-lowed the wave of criticism in navy nnd congressional circles over the :-e:gn of terror in the islands, and par-t par-t : i-u larly in Honolulu, brought to light by the attack and assault by five natives na-tives upon Mrs. Tralia Massie. Mr. Richardson recommended the appointment by the President of a territorial ter-ritorial police head for the entire territory, ter-ritory, with full power of control and organization, and similar appointment of an attorney general to be the public prosecutor. Regarding conditions In general, Richardson reported : "We found no organized crime, no important criminal class, and no criminal rackets. We did not find substantial evidence that a crime wave so-called was In existence in Honolulu. We did find, however, ample evidence of extreme laxity in the administraton of law enforcement agencies. "We believe that a continuation of such laxity Is fraught with much social so-cial and political danger." THE pinch of national economy prompted Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi, ranking Democrat on the finance committee, to Issue a declaration dec-laration against full payment of the vet- 'im)'f'i erans' bonus certifi- cates. Citing the $2,000,000,000 deficit in fttfl prospect for the gov- $fej J ernment this year and - r is: i H the pending bill to f ff ? raise new taxes, the senator in a letter to f': veterans of his state " ... said: KSr?? "I regret that exist-Ing exist-Ing conditions impel Pat Harrlson me, in the Interest of the country, to oppose the legislation at this time." The stand taken by Senator Harrf-son, Harrf-son, coupled with the known view of other senate leaders, is believed to doom any prospect of enactment into law of the bonus payment measure. In his statement the Democratic financial leader of the senate pointed out that $1,000,000,000 of the $4,000,-000,000 $4,000,-000,000 government budget now goes to the relief of war veterans. A DECISION which brought to a stop the congressional career of Peter C. Granata of Chicago gave the Democrats of the house a full ten-vote ten-vote lead over their Republican opponents. op-ponents. Granata was voted out and Stanley H. Kunz was voted in by the house members. It was a decision on an election contest brought by the latter, lat-ter, the Democratic congressional candidate can-didate In the Eighth Illinois district, against the Republican who had been seated at the outset of the session on the strength of his certificate of election. elec-tion. The standing of the parties in the bouse now Is: Democrats, 221; Republicans, Re-publicans, 211 ; farmer-labor, 1 ; vacancies, vacan-cies, 2. (, 1932, Western Nww.-jn.iper Union.) |