Show ECONOMIC highlights industrial news review weeks ago opponents of the lease lend bill admitted that their cause was lost from the beginning it was as a certainty that the bill would go 0 o through and so when an irritable debate weary senate fina finally lly voted on the bill on the evening of march 8 it it came almost as an inti anti climax there was no filibuster there was no excitement confess ress simply gave its formal appio v al to a fateful far reaching policy which had been established and decided in all basic essentials long ago the bill passed with comparatively little change it gives the president pr esi powers which can be combar ed only to those conferred on wilson during the world war he is in short empowered to sell title to lease lend or otherwise limpose of any and all war materials to any powers whose defense he considers vital to the defense of the united states the senate added three more or less important amendments mend ments all approved by the white house one ends the authority of the president to enter in to contracts on june 30 1943 and stipulates that all contracts must be fulfilled I 1 ul filled by july 1 1946 another limits for war materials to amounts which will later be authorized by congress and adds a stipulation that not more than worth of war supplies now possessed by our army and navy can be transferred the third requires the president to report to congress angress on gress on the progress of the pro grans gram each 90 days two much publicized proposed amendments mend ments were beaten one would have forbidden the president to allow the U S navy to convoy supply ships abroad As white house spokesmen pointed out this meant sittle little or nothing inasmuch as the constitution gives the president as commander in chief of all the forces almost unlimited authority over naval actions arid and policy ind it would take a constitutional Constitution pl 1 amendment imen men dment to change that the oth ar r amendment would have forbid len ien sending an to foreign lands without explicit il approval administration lead leaders ers aid that would weaken our forea foreign n policy particularly in the far east by assuring our possible enemies hat we would be unable to back ip p our talk with action congress concurred the vote did not divide strictly n party lines the democrats held heir forces well in ain line c 49 19 voter voted or the bill and but 13 against the republicans split Se said no ren ien voted yes including the pa par r lys senate leader mcnary of oregon it has been widely reported that mr roosevelt was just waiting for congress to finish its wrangling be ore taking drastic steps to iron ou out t production difficulties it is is one thing to pass a law providing all lid to it is a very different nt thing to produce and ship the arms the belligerents so desperate y need the defense high comman command I 1 has already been shaken up but there is still considerable division of responsibility no one man has been given supreme command as was bernard baruch in ili the 1917 war industries board the feeling persists that the he president will be forced to do this before long ion g and reports are also going around that some of the men high in defense councils have not proven to be such production wizards as their buildups indicated in the meantime it is next to impossible to find out how well or badly the defense drive is going |