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Show CAPITAL 4 GLEANINGSA BY -Henry Dworshakfj YOUR CONGRESSfVAN luLIliikLMlill While national interest centers on the senate debate on the lend-lease lend-lease bill, promoted as a potent program by the administration, there are numerous developments in direct conflict with this contention. conten-tion. In the senate, as in the house deate. there is no disposition :o permit amendments designed to restrict presidential authority, and it is being acknowledged that enactment en-actment of this legislation will be i. llowed by spectacular developments. develop-ments. Peace may be the professed objective ob-jective of the lend-lease bill, but congress and executive departments depart-ments are overwhelmed daily by preparations which far transcend any justifiable national defense activities. ac-tivities. Almost daily sonic supplemental supple-mental appopriation request is sent to congress from the White IIuso. and every conceivable governmental gov-ernmental activity is stimulated under pressure of national defense. Contracts are awarded daily without with-out bids, and administration spokesman are admitting that waste and extravagance cannot be avoided, as industrial production is up, to provide armaments, ships, cantonments, plant facilities, housing-billions and billions of dollars for a defense program involving almost al-most $.:o ooo, ooo. coo. Millions of patriotic Americans are amazed at the tempo of preparations, pre-parations, but there would be a tin; e of anguish if they only realized real-ized that in peacetime it is difficult (o jastity uiai'y policies whicn pre. domimte in! ti c i.msaelion. of gov- ernmeiital business Millions are being frittered away, and few persons per-sons dare to criticize because their motives may be impugned. When the house was asked for $338,000,000 additional funds a, few days ago to 'complete construction of army camps, Chairman Wood-rum( Wood-rum( of the appropriations sub-com-, mil tee admitted that costs were from 25 to 35 per cent in excess of original estimates. During the de-date de-date I recalled the profiteering and the inefficiency permitted during the first World War and urged that the nation conserve its material and human resources now, as well as maintain the morale of Ihe men in the armed services. This internal problem is far more menacing than foreign dictators to the security and economic eco-nomic welfare of our country. The Pacific Northwest will soon be embraced in a huge power and water development under the Columbia Co-lumbia Power Authority, if plans now being considered within the department of interior malerializo. This new agency would bo vested with extensive powers, and have authority to issue bonds in Ihe amount $200,000,000. Proceeds would be used to exercise absolute control over the generation and distribution ot power, as well as the construction of dams, resonoirs and other works on any stream flowing in, through, across or out of the Pa'Cific Northwest. Tha scope of this proposed nuthoiily is almost unlimited, and is Indicative Indica-tive or administration plans to dominate future development of natural resources in that section. The Idaho delegation held a conference con-ference this week lo consider various vari-ous aspects of Huh program, and plan-i lo keeps in, -close touch with developments. Shipping rfslrictioiiH In Die J'a-cil'ic J'a-cil'ic whirth have rosalled in In-(M'oased In-(M'oased freight niten of I'liilippin! sugar will likely rcHull in thone islands noi fill ingM heir tiuola nmr-kelahle nmr-kelahle in t lie IIjiMerl Slal'-K. I'lierc-fru I'lierc-fru , (I Dines) ic snga r a re:iH are in-tereslnd in-tereslnd in jtromting thin additional addition-al allocation, and ('orirrewMman Coffee of Nebraska lias in'rodwed a hill proposing that any sneli le-fieil le-fieil tonnage shall hf prorated among donicsfir growers. M wan f-xpi'cted that Hie agrieuM ire com-millfc com-millfc of Ihe house would immediately immedi-ately approve fhiH ni'-asuro, but Sferetary Kill has niti)i-d it that he is opposed to this; hill, and prefers pre-fers to alloe-ite this deriri-nt Philippine Phil-ippine tftiinai-'e to South nierir-ari Kiigar prodii' i rs. Ornc more th'i a dm in is' ra t ion has ind ieat ed that il is more roneerncd about fthJlng foi-fign growers f ban perm in ing the sugar industry in thin country to expand. The war depart men) on February Febru-ary 20 estimated the strength of Die ai my aw K7'!,0no offirers and men, in el u fling on listed men in the regular army, 22.'!.0'n national giiardrmen, and' 2R,000 ho-lertive ho-lertive service trainees. Kecretfiry Stimj:on announces (hat tH-lwecn , 1. '10. 000 and 150,000 seectie(.H will lie called 'for service, during March, rutting the army beyond the million-man mark. The secretary also states that work will begin immediately imme-diately on seven recreational arean in the gulf coa t region fir soldiers I on leave from nearby camps. |
