MINORITY VIEWS The Appropriations Committee this morning reported out the foreign economic aid bill in this form: To ECA for additional funds for the 15-month period ending To ECA for the fiscal year 1950___. To the War Department for government and relief in occupied areas- $1,074, 000, 000 3, 568, 470,000 850, 000, 000 The first item of $1,074,000,000 was the full budget estimate; the second item for ECA for the fiscal year 1950 was $629,730,000 below the budget estimate; the item for "Government and relief in occupied areas" was reduced from $1,000,000,000 to $850,000,000, a cut of $150,000,000, making total cuts for the bill of $779,000,000 below the budget. There was in addition, a cut in the limitation of the amount that could be used for personal services in the "Government and relief in occupied areas" item from $45,000,000 to $29,000,000 which is $21,000,000 below the budget figure. This, however, comes out of the total figure of $850,000,000 allowed and is not a further reduction in funds. It means that more funds in proportion are available for actual aid rather than the hiring of unnecessary personnel. According to the first statement which was made to the committee by ECA, the shipments for the 12 months ending April 2, 1949, were $3,047,000,000 indicating a shipment of $250,000,000 a month for the first 12 months of their operations. They later changed these figures to $3,774,000,000 on the basis of estimated shipments as distinguished from actual reports. Which is correct, the minority does not know. The latter figure makes shipments of $315,000,000 a month. The over-all figure which the committee has reported would allow shipments of $310,000,000 a month for 15 months, from April 2, 1949, to June 30, 1950, as there is carried to the ECA an additional $4,640,000,000 by the bill as reported. At the present time ECA has a pipe line sufficient to carry them for over 3 months on any basis, and probably for 4 months. That means that if shipments run $310,000,000 a month for the 15 months ending June 30, 1950, they will still have a pipe line available of $1,200,000,000 sufficient to carry them to the 1st of October or the 1st of November 1950. In addition, exports of all these countries have been increasing. As a result, they are able to pay for more imports with their own resources. The situation in each country is going to be that they will have more to do with than they have had, and recovery should proceed at a more rapid pace than in the last 12 months. Moreover, there is a downward trend in prices on account of which the majority members of the subcommittee recommended a reduction of $182,000,000, insofar as the ECA item was concerned. This is very conservative when you consider the futures markets for grains and other commodities on the regular exchanges and when you consider 8 the support prices set for some of our major agricultural crops. It is possible that those savings on account of price reductions could very readily amount to much more. If the operation were going to wind up on June 30, 1950, we could cut, in addition to what the committee cut, another $1,000,000,000 without hurting the program at all. If the participating countries would stabilize their currency on a realistic basis, their exports will immediately increase and they would be able to procure a great many things more than they can at present. Real progress has been made but if the recovery program is going to be the success that all of us desire, budgets must be balanced, currencies must be stabilized, production must reach a maximum, and the European economy insofar as is practical must be integrated. If results along these lines such as we are led to anticipate in the next fiscal year are in fact realized there should be more than ample funds to meet all stated needs of the participating countries in that year. The basic concept of the ECA program was based upon mutual aid. It must not be permitted to become one-sided or it will defeat its purpose. JOHN TABER. RICHARD B. WIGGLESWORTH. H. Repts., 81-1, vol. 3-97 PROVIDING ADDITIONAL REVENUE FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA MAY 23, 1949.-Ordered to be printed Mr. MCMILLAN, from the committee of conference, submitted the following CONFERENCE REPORT (To accompany H. R. 3704 The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendments of the Senate to the bill (H. R. 3704) to provide additional revenue for the District of Columbia, having met, after full and free conference, have agreed to recommend and do recommend to their respective Houses as follows: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendments of the Senate numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, and 137, and agree to the same. Amendment numbered 35: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate numbered 35. and agree to the same with an amendment as follows: Strike out "$1.50' wherever it appears in the Senate amendment and insert in lieu thereof $1.25; and the Senate agree to the same. Amendment numbered 127: That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate numbered 127, and agree to the same with an amendment as follows: In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted by the Senate amendment insert the following: SEC. 505. Subsection (a) of section 23 of the District of Columbia Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, as amended, is further amended to read as follows: "SEc. 23. (a) There shall be levied, collected, and paid on all of the following-named beverages manufactured by a holder of a manufacturer's license and on all of the said beverages imported or brought into the District of Columbia by a holder of a wholesaler's license, except beverages as may be sold to a dealer licensed under the laws of any State or Territory of the United States and not licensed under this Act, and on all beverages imported or brought into the District of Columbia by a holder of a retailer's license, a tax at the following rates to be paid by the licensee in the manner hereinafter provided: "(1) A tax of 15 cents on every wine-gallon of wine containing more than 14 per centum of alcohol by volume, except champagne or sparkling wine or any wine artificially carbonated, and a proportionate tax at a like rate on all fractional parts of such gallon; (2) a tax of 221⁄2 cents on every wine-gallon of champagne or sparkling wine or any wine artificially carbonated, and a proportionate tax at a like rate on all fractional parts of such gallon; (3) a tax of 75 cents on every wine-gallon of spirits and a proportionate tax at a like rate on all fractional parts of such gallon; (4) and a tax of $1.25 on every wine-gallon of alcohol and a proportionate tax at a like rate on all fractional parts of such gallon." And the Senate agree to the same. JNO. L. MCMILLAN, JOSEPH P. O'HARA, Managers on the Part of the House. J. HOWARD MCGRATH, Managers on the Part of the Senate. |