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Show ( CAPITAL 4 h GLEANINGS A t I YOUR CONGRESSAAN Ml!MllilSi than the total leceral tax revue in 1940 to provide funds for the president's first Britain aid appro, priation request, ft would require an increase of 240 per cent added to the total 1940 income tax payments pay-ments to meet this single presidential presiden-tial request. It is apparent that some new sources of revenue or increase in-crease in "existing tax rates are essential es-sential if financial chaos is to be averted. Possibly a good start nu'gh be made by doubling all existing ex-isting tax rates and placing the 5 or G billion dollar;; increased revenue rev-enue from this source in a separate fund to aid Britain. Of course, this would be inadequate, but it might give Americans some conception of the vast financial obligations which they have recently assumed under the provisions of .H. R. 776. Current requirements for British aid, our national defense and operation oper-ation of the federal government mean that we are spending about $4 for each $1 of tax revenue. er available, we contended that reclamation development is of prime importance with power facilities fa-cilities used to meet the cost of construction of such multipleuse projects. Importation of foreign power might retard such development develop-ment in Idaho, it was pointed out. Secretary Wirtz was extremely sympathetic, and stated that the proposed Northwest program would accord Gem State citizens opportunity oppor-tunity to outline plans insuring maximum development and fullest utilization of the state's natural resources. re-sources. Approximately $10,000,000,000 of defense contracts were awarded by the government between June and December, 1940, to about 13,000 contractors, it was recently reported. re-ported. About 90 per cent was awarded to about GOO large concerns. con-cerns. This means that more than 12,000 prime contractors shared but one billion dollars worth of contracts, while a few hundred shared about $9,000,000,000. This is the result of terrific pressure and racing against the bottleneck of time, it is claimed, and is the reason rea-son for making most of the awards without competitive bidding, and the aircraft contracts without profit prof-it restrictions. The house on March 13 provided an additional 5150,000,000 for defense de-fense housing in industrial areas, including about 54,400 family dwelling dwell-ing units. This amount was made available last fall for a similar program, under which 38,000 houses have been built, containing 25,000 electric refrigerators. Eight separate federal agencies carry on actua construction of public defense de-fense housing at present. The Cox resolution to create a special house committee to investigate inves-tigate national defense activities and implement congressional action was defeated March 11, not because be-cause an investigation was opposed, but because many members believed believ-ed that existing committees can do this work. The military affairs committee has been holding hearings hear-ings to check on construction of army camps, but it lack power to issue subpoenas. It is likely Chairman Chair-man May will seek such authority, as well as a small appropriation, and extend the inquiry to other phases of defense awards. The senate has created a special group headed by Senator Truman to investigate in-vestigate contracts, but in view of the huge expenditures, it is likely that any disclosures will be, too late to avoid waste and extravagance, extrava-gance, and to encourage efficiency in the defense program. Following enactment of the lend ! lease bill by congress, the presi- dent requested an appropriation of J7.000.0OO.OOO to aid Britain, push-1 ing the budgeted cost of defense lor the United States and its friends to $35,000,000,000. The $7,-000,000,000 $7,-000,000,000 fund is the largest single sin-gle amount ever sought to aid foreign for-eign nations, as President Wilson's largest single request to aid the allies during the World war was ' $4,000,000,000. Washington observers, including many members of congress, are be ginning to realize that the nation has straddled a rocket in the national na-tional debt, which makes the present pres-ent limit of $65,000,000,000 look inconsequential. in-consequential. Spending on the Present schedule will likely carry-is carry-is the $65,000,000,000 limit within He next year, with possibilities tliat the sights will be raised to !80,000,OO0,OO or possibly as high as 100,000,000,000 within a few years. It had been hoped by some mem-i to" of congress that the phenomenal phenom-enal rise of the federal debt would ' result in retrenchment in non-de-1 'ewe expenditures. However, ad-' ministration leaders reject all sug-1 eestions for economy with the im-' Patient retort: "Oh, we can't stop consider cost now!" Some of the more cautious members bel'eve a Nal debt limit can have little Waning until congress puts a spending limit on itself. This will "ot be done until the people back e realize danger which faces nation and demand that econo-y econo-y ne applied. The $7,000,000,000,000 British aid is difficult to comprehend ess comparisons are maae federal income. During the fis- year of 1940 the total of all fed-IhL fed-IhL WS& 5'340,452,340, of n amounted to $2,102,598 927. h actually means it would' re-!!!JM200,000,000 re-!!!JM200,000,000 more m Recently Idaho State Grange Master E. T. Taylor appealed for more extensive use of American farm commodities under the lend-lease lend-lease program, pointing out lhat Britain is purhasing such items in South America. Department of Agriculture officials have studied this problem, and report that it appears ap-pears Britain would temporarily concentate on war materials from this country, continuing to trade with her dominions for food. This week the Idaho delegation conferred with the under secretary of the interior, Alvin Wirtz, re. garding the proposed legislation t covering the Columbia Valley Au-! Au-! thority. Under this program it is planned to develop the power and water resources of the Northwest, and primarily to market power from Bonneville and Grand Couiee plants. While Idaho Is desirous of having an abundance of cheap pow- |