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Show flf'n WASHINGTON ySBy Walter Shead WNU Corv"M'', WNU Wtshiotton Buretu 821 Union Trust Building. What Congress Left Undone Vf EMBERS of the 79th congress are now back in their home towns for their summer vacations, lasting until congress convenes again on October 8. Some few of them contrived to take junkets to Alaska, Europe or the Pacific "on business of congress." This session will go down in history his-tory as the one that abruptly reversed re-versed the traditional Isolationist policy of self-sufficiency, to one of full co-operation with other nations on military, social, economic and cultural questions. Ratification of the United Nations Na-tions charter by the senate, adoption of the Bretton Woods agreement, the Reciprocal Trades agreements and the Agricultural and Food agreements agree-ments by both houses of congress con-gress mark Important milestones mile-stones in the life of the nation toward to-ward world peace and security. But this reporter feels that when congress adjourned for the summer sum-mer it did so with some trepidation over sins of omission. It had left undone un-done many things necessary to safeguard safe-guard our domestic economy things dangerous to postpone until after next October, particularly reconversion re-conversion plans. Grave Matters Shelved It did nothing on full employment, except to hold some belated hearings hear-ings on the Murray bill, Introduced last January. It did nothing on the "human" side of reconversion, such as acting on President Truman's proposal for an emergency $25 per week for 26 weeks for laid-off workers. work-ers. It did nothing about sub-standard wages among some 17 million white collar and other workers to raise rninimum wages to at least 65 cents an hour. It did nothing about enlarging the social security program to Include farmers and small business and professional men as provided in the Murray - Wagner Wag-ner bill. It did nothing about the report of the Mead War Investigating Investi-gating committee which urged immediate im-mediate control of all war agencies by the office of war mobilization, and severely criticized government delay de-lay in reconversion plans. It did nothing about government work programs pro-grams to tide over any emergency. It did rush through a measure intended in-tended to give some tax relief to business, but did nothing about a general interim tax revision, considered consid-ered necessary for reconversion. We Will Be Unready For Peace This twinge of conscience was apparent ap-parent in a meeting of some 20 senators sena-tors and a published outline of a program pro-gram of pending legislation, made the day before adjournment The Mead committee report declared that if the war in the Pacific ends soon, it will find us largely unprepared unpre-pared to overcome our domestic problems. Unless reconversion is speeded up, unemployment on ' a large scale will ensue. Many folks here believe that end of the Jap war will come within the next two to four months, and the feeling among those in position to know best Is divided about half and half on that proposition. Congressional leaders apparently are among the 50 per cent who look for a longer war In the Pacific. Another thing left undone was establishment of presidential succession succes-sion which President Truman urged be done immediately. Many leaders here think this to be one of the most important and vitally essential questions at this time. So if the end of the war in the Pacific does come sooner than congress con-gress thinks, the expected temporary tempor-ary chaos in which our domestic economy will flounder can be laid directly at the door of congress. They have been forewarned, not only by the President but by reports of conscientious and authoritative committees of their own membership. member-ship. Planning Takes Time This business of reconversion, or getting back to normal after the war, requires planning and thinking through of tough problems on both temporary and long-range domestic questions. It cannot be done on the spur of the moment, and likely will take weeks or months after congress con-gress comes back next October. Witnesses on the rull employment bill, including senators and representatives repre-sentatives of labor and business, were all agreed that sudden end of the war will mean "quite a period of lay-ofTs." Meanwhile Sen. Elbert Thomas (D., Utah) dclcared that legislation to boost the minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Stand-ards act from 40 to 65 cents ar hour is "one of the first important measures meas-ures for consideration of congress." At the same time, labor leaders are urging congress to restore War Labor board authority to order substantial sub-stantial wage adjustments. |